


Hoshi no Kirifuda

by ArcDragoon



Category: Kamen Rider Blade, Star vs. The Forces Of Evil
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama & Romance, F/M, Multi, Romance, Teen Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-07
Updated: 2018-05-07
Packaged: 2019-03-21 08:00:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 40
Words: 89,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13736595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArcDragoon/pseuds/ArcDragoon
Summary: Ten thousand years ago, a massive battle known as the Battle Royal was fought by fifty-two demons known as the Undead. The winner was the Category Two of Hearts, granting her wish to seal away all the Undead and their travesties. In present day, something has freed the Undead, and it is up to Star Butterfly and Marco Diaz to stop them. AU Fic. (Starco)





	1. Prologue

Hoshi no Kirifuda   
Prologue

  
  


Disclaimer:   
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.  These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

 

Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes. 

 

***  
  
Author’s Introduction:  
Good day, hi.  Honestly, I’m super awkward, and I’m not entirely sure as to how to introduce myself.  Let’s just call me by my usual, I’m ArcDragoon. Let me please inform the readers that this is my first fanfiction publication.  I do have real life obligations and all so I cannot guarantee to churn out chapters. However, I will do my best to keep to a consistent schedule.  For now, I am aiming for at least a chapter every two weeks. As a warning, I’m not entirely sure where my writing style will be taking this story, so I am going to mark it under as ‘mature’ as possible.  
  
Now, before you begin reading the story, I want to let you all know what I’ll be writing.  This is a fanfiction piece involving the characters from “Star vs the Forces of Evil,” but it is an alternate universe depiction.  I will be doing a crossover, using elements from another source that I do not see much written on. This story will be a Kamen Rider crossover, specifically Kamen Rider Blade.  I’ve been mulling on this idea for a while. At first I wanted to do a large scale story, but after a bit of time, I decided that I wanted to at least finish my story. So, I scaled down.  Now, if you picked this up, chances are you did so because you’re a SvtFE fan and I don’t know how many if any of you are Kamen Rider fans, but don’t worry you don’t need to know anything about the franchise.  I will do my best to explain the details. If you have further interest, or would at least look a few things up for a visual reference, please do so.  
  
I guess let’s start.  
  
*****  
  
     A large golden book fell upon the floor with a loud thump.  The weight of the book echoed in a dimly lit gray room. With groaning effort the cover of the book opened, the spine of the leatherback stretching for what seemed to be the first time in thousands if not more years.  Dust radiated from the pages as they flipped, only to stop as a little blue man emerged from the pages. Dressed in a pale yellow robe, with a magenta jewel encrusted in his unproportionally large forehead when compared to the rest of him, the diminutive man opened his eyes to reveal diamond shaped irises and pupils.  He looked down his long nose and beneath his white beard that parted at the end.  
  
     He yawned and stretched, his bones and muscles creaked like old floorboards.  “Oh dear. How long has it been? Uh-huh, uh-huh.” He looked to the opened pages of the book.  “Looks like… almost ten thousand years?! That’s not right, I’m pretty sure that ten thousand years give or take doesn’t equate to forever.  Who woke us up so early?” The blue man knife handed the book, revealing five fingers and a thumb. “Oh, don’t give me that sass, the deal was to seal everything forever, this does not look like forever.  See, it is an obvious mistake to have woken me up. As you can see all of-”  
  
     He squinted to look at a large slab of stone that laid against the wall opposite of the opening in the room.  He floated towards the slab. At first glance it looked like any other slab of stone, but upon close inspection there were square grooves carved into it.  There were a total of fifty-two similar grooves.  
  
     “This is not good… who or what could’ve…  I know, I know. We have to find them.” His finger traced the outline of a groove.  “But you know that I can’t do this by myself if they’ve awoken. I’ll have to also awaken… it.”  

 

     The book seemingly jumped from the cold floor onto a pedestal in the middle of the room, landing with a dull thud.  

 

     “What?!  What do you expect this old man to do?  You know that I can’t directly interfere if it has begun again.  I have to get help and the only thing that could help us is THAT,” he stated matter of factly.  

 

     The pages in the book flipped fervently as in disagreement.  

 

     The blue man hovered up to the book and gave it an incredulous look.  “Don’t complain, that was the purpose of its inception and creation. I mean what’s the worse thing that could happen?”  

 

     The book stopped with its flipping, as if it were rolling its eyes at the little man. 

 

     “Okay, okay.  Yes, that could happen.  But I mean, it can’t be worse than the alternative with them running around free to do what they want.”  
  
     The book flipped pages back and forth until it opened on a page with chains sewn a cross it, an ominous skull in the middle of the page sealing the secrets that laid beyond it.  
  
     “So, we come to an agreement?  It is time to open up the the card of fate.”  The diminutive blue man stuck his right index finger into his mouth, twirled it around between his lips, and then pulled it out with a popping noise.  “Now, I agree this is disgusting, but-” Before finishing, he rapidly stuck the wet appendage into the mouth of the skull, only to turn it until a clicking noise echoed the room.  The chains on the page freed itself, the skull crumpled into dust, and where the skull was, a card was now in its place. The card was black with a green heart-like design in the center.  However, at a careful examination the heart-like design was also reminiscent of a green butterfly. In the top left and bottom right corner of the card was the word JOKER in blood red. “Time to wake up kiddo, rise and shine.”


	2. Episode 01 - Chapter 01

Hoshi no Kirifuda  
Episode 01 - Chapter 01

Disclaimer:  
     The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred. These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

     Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes.

Author's Notes:  
     Nothing here yet, I'm going to try to publish a few chapters together, depending on total length. But for future references, I'll try to answer questions here and clarify things here.

000000

     The sun was bright and harsh as it hung directly overhead. The heat clashed against the vibrant cool green grass. There were the chirps of insects and the flaps of wings in the background. In the middle of all this was a woman with poofy teal hair that contrasted against her almost ethereal pale skin. She wore a long grape purple Gothic dress adorned with a white cravat, it was accentuated with long gray gloves which looked more lavender than gray against the dress, and matched her seemingly similar colored socks that were tucked into her black flats. Atop her head, a large black sun hat with gray and white feathers, it all coming together towards a single thorny twig that pointed back against the sun.

     She stood there, breathing in the humid air, embracing the sun's rays, and absorbing the sights and sounds. She smacked her maroon colored lips and closed her eyes revealing her thick black mascara. Between her arms was a closed parasol with a long handle, the head of the parasol was an orb placed between a pair of black jutting wings, adorned on top of the orb was a black crescent. She slowly swung the parasol up and around, opening it as it spun, and to rest upon her left shoulder blocking the sun's rays. She took in one more large breath before abruptly coughing.

     Recovering from her cough, "Well -cough- at least the air still tastes just as stale as I remember it." She peered around as if she was waiting for someone. "Might as well enjoy it while I can." She noticed a boulder beneath the shade of a large overhung tree. Giddily, she walked over to the boulder, setting herself on top of it, closing her parasol, and held it firmly between her hands.

     "I wonder how long it has been? It seems like my imprisonment wasn't forever. Whoever freed me, I'll have to find a way to… thank them later. Ho-ho-ho." She closed her eyes trying to remember the recent events. In her memories she saw flashes of light, men and monsters surrounding her, poking and prodding at her. "Yes. I will have to thank them," she said with a sour note. A breeze swept through, as if naughtily trying to upskirt the woman. She hastily composed herself and her dress, and then looking up to see the source of the breeze.

     In front of her was a floating purple insect-like thing. It resembled a butterfly, its two wings were large in wingspan,and they were perriwinkle in color and hue. Each wing divided into thirds towards the outside of the wing, giving the impression that looked like the shape of a lily behind the butterfly creature. It wore a simple light purple one piece dress, around the dress was a silver belt with a red heart divided in half, enclosed in a golden border, where the buckle would be. Protruding out from the dress it had six arms and a pair of legs. Its face looked like it were a young girl's. It had what one would guess to be hair, pale lavender in color, and twisted behind it into two large buns. With no discernable features on its face, but where the eyes should've been, two large glowing hearts were in place.

     The pale woman stared sympathetically at the butterfly-like thing in front of her. "Oh, they sent you to come fetch me? Was Glossaryck too busy to do it himself?" she giggled at her own amusement.

     The purple butterfly creature only said five words. "Target. Two of Hearts. Attack."

     Without wasting a further second, the Gothic dressed woman blocked an onslaught of attacks from the butterfly creature with her parasol. "That is rude. I do have a proper name. Eclipsa."

     The butterfly creature didn't respond, it only continued to swipe with its six arms at its intended target.

     "You're no fun. I don't get a name from you? Not that it matters, I already know what you are." Eclipsa winced slightly as a kick grazed against her left side. "You're a Joker. And do you know how I know that?"

     Eclipsa opened her parasol in front of the butterfly creature to obscure its view. Quickly the butterfly creature swiped it away, only to see that Eclipsa had disappeared. It looked around to regain sight of its target, but it was too late. Eclipsa jumped from the tree, scissor kicking as she fell, landing the base of her flats against the butterfly creature, and knocking it against the ground.

     "Because, I defeated the previous Joker."

     The Joker laid on the ground, struggling to breathe, and exhausted from the surprise kick. It looked at Eclipsa, who had decided to sit herself back on top of the boulder underneath the tree.

     "That's enough Eclipsa."

     Both Eclipsa and the Joker looked in the direction of the new voice. It came from a little blue man who floated in the air.

     "Oh, but Glossaryck, I was having such fun. It has been so long since I've had any exercise. Ho-ho-ho," Eclipsa eyed at the Joker. "This one seems too young for my tastes. No experience at all. The last one put up quite a fight. I was at least hoping to use this." She pointed towards her midsection, where a gray buckle relatively the same size as an adult male's hand, manifested itself.

     The small blue man, Glossaryck retorted, "You mean the power you stole from the Joker you killed?"

     "Stole? I only took what was mine, the spoils of war. This Blay Buckle was earned fair and square." Eclipsa winked at Glossaryck. "But, if it makes a difference. I'll return it."

     "No, Eclipsa you stole it and your will- Wait. You're returning it? Why would you-" Cut off short, the gray buckle was thrown it the diminutive blue man, hitting him in the face.

     "See, returned." Eclipsa heartily laughed at the pained face of Glossaryck. The Joker, darted its vision between the other two, not quite comprehending what exchange was going on.

     A large golden book unfolded itself from the sleeves of Glossaryck. Opening up to a blank page, as Glossaryck dropped the Blay Buckle onto the blank page, and then the book shut itself as if swallowing the item.

     Eclipsa, suddenly stopped her laughing, switching to a more serious tone, "Now, Glossaryck, I do not know what is happening. All I know is that I have been awoken, when that was not the wish."

     "I do not know either Eclipsa. Our… mutual friend will not divulge what he knows to us." Glossaryck eyed the golden book. "However, I have been tasked to basically play a game of Fifty-Two Pick-Up. Unfortunately… with these events, I have been informed that the tournament has restarted."

     "Re… started? Restarted? RE. STARTED?!" Eclipsa lost her composure. She stared at Glossaryck and the golden book; on each of her cheeks were two spade shaped marks glowing a sickly purple. The butterfly Joker lept between the parties, ready to face Eclipsa again. Eclipsa breathed a heavy sigh and rubbed her temples. "Fine. I don't care."

     "You don't care? Eclipsa, you know what will happen if there is a winner. Since you were the victor of the last tournament ten thousand years ago, I would think you cared more than that."

     "Ten thousand years? Glossaryck, I asked for my wish, and as I breathe, I know it was not fulfilled. I. Do. Not. Care."

     "Eclipsa, please I need help to restore this, to put everything back. You know that I cannot directly involve myself. You know that I had to awaken this Joker," Glossaryck pointed at the Butterfly Joker.

     "No. I gave you the Blay Buckler. I want no part in this." She gave a sympathetic look at the Butterfly Joker. "And if I could, I would wish the same on it. No child should have to bear this responsibility."

     "Fine. As it was originally decreed, I will seal you away, again."

     "Before you do that Glossaryck, I do have a tidbit of information."

     Glossaryck held out his two hands, patiently to hear what the Gothic woman had to say.

     "As I awoke, I recall people and monsters working together. They were testing me. I do not fully understand what occurred, as I gained consciousness, I overpowered them and escaped. I will let you know that chances are, whoever had me on that cold metal table are the ones responsible behind this." She had her right pointer finger pressed against her chin as she pondered.

     "Thank you for that information."

     "Oh, I also remember. I was not on Mewni."

     "Not on Mewni… If that were the case, how did you get back here?" Glossaryck processing the information.

     "I think… the Blay Buckle lead me back here. There was a flash of light from it and I appeared here shortly before the Joker found me. If you want to find whoever is responsible for this, you'll have to ask the buckle."

     "Anything else?"

     "Yes." Eclipsa walked over to the Butterfly Joker, who instantly took a defensive guard. "Happy Birthday Dear. I don't have anything to give to you except myself. You seem like you'll be a smart child, and I'm sure Glossaryck can help you figure things out. I'm not telling you to trust him, he's only doing his job." Eclipsa wrapped her arms around the Butterfly Joker in a hug. "But believe me when I tell you this… I'm going to make this fun… well for me. Ho-ho-ho," last whispered Eclipsa.

     Where Eclipsa stood, a blinding light came forth. She disappeared, and in the right hand of the Butterfly Joker was a card. The card was the Two of Hearts, in the top left and bottom right corners of the card were a number 2 and a heart, in the center of the card was the silhouette of a woman chained behind a purple heart, and the only word on the card was SPIRIT.

     Over stimulated, the Butterfly Joker fell over, face first into the dirt. A single tear shed from its glowing eyes.


	3. Episode 01 - Chapter 02

Hoshi no Kirifuda  
Episode 01 - Chapter 02

Disclaimer:  
     The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred. These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

     Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes.

Author's Notes:  
     Nothing here yet, keep going.

000000

     "AaaAA...ARGH!" screamed a blond haired girl. She leapt up from her bed, springing on top of the mattress, and landing her feet on the floor with a loud thud. "It was that dream again… What did that lady say to me, hmm? That's right! Happy Birthday! Happy birthday to me!"

     The girl's golden hair flowed from her head to her knees. She was wearing pastel blue colored pajamas. Around her feet were a mess of blankets and bed sheets.

     "I'll… clean that up later…" the girl eyed the mess she had made from leaping out of her bed. She walked over to the mirror hanging up on the wall, graciously going over her lithe body, and talking to herself through the mirror, "Looking good. Those squats are really bringing out that tone. Oh yeah!" She smiled, her mouth stretching from ear to ear. "Hello Star, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" On her rosy cheeks were a pink heart mark on each cheek, bringing color to her fair colored skin. "Today is going to be the greatest day EVER!" Her blue eyes filled with energy and determination.

     "But first, time to change into my birthday suit!"

000

     "Star? Star. Star! Pay attention."

     "I'm sorry mom, I'm just really excited." She had changed into a blue dress with light turquoise shoulders. At the flare of the dress, little hearts were sewn in a pattern. Over the dress she wore a deeper hue blue colored vest.

     The blond girl turned to focus her attention to her mother. Star's mother shared the same complexion, and on top of her head was her pale blue hair set in the shape of a large heart, how she ever got the volume of her hair that way Star would never know. The older woman wore a golden crown with a purple diamond in the middle. Her attire was a light blue and white gown, the bodice and skeleton under the dress flared out to make it look like a heart. She wore long blue gloves that accentuated the upper part of her attire. Similar to Star, instead of heart marks, she had pink diamonds in place on her cheeks. Each diamond just slightly distanced from her pink lips.

     "Star, I am still queen of Mewni, I understand that today is an important day, but please focus." The Queen's look was dignified and bereft of humor.

     Star sighed, regaining herself. "Yes, mother."

     "Good."

     Next to the Queen was her husband the King. He was a short, stout, and white skinned man. On his face was his pride and joy, a long blonde beard that challenged to rival any facial hair aficionado. It parted and curled at the end in two different directions. He wore deep blue coat, with a periwinkle cape, adorned with golden shoulder pads. His pants were an gray color, that stopped at his black boots. On top of his head was a golden crown, it too had a purple diamond adorned in it.

     A deep and commanding voice came from the King, "Star, today is your fourteenth birthday. It is today that you must uphold the family tradition."

     The queen waited for her husband to finish. "Yes Star, today you partake in the Battle Royal. And with thi-"

     Star quickly snatched the item out of the Queen's hand and held it up against her face. It was a silver belt buckle, with a red heart in the center of it, a golden border around the heart, and a slit that parted the heart in half.

     "Oh-ho-ho-oh… The Chalice Rouser." Star slightly drooled against the cold metal of the buckle.

     "Star, please be a bit more sightly. You are the representative of our kingdom in the Battle Royal. The Chalice Rouser has been passed down from generation to generation of the Butterfly family. It is up to you to win and claim our name as the-" The Queen stopped as she noticed that her husband was poking at her. "Yes, River?"

     The King dared not say anything, but pointed at where Star now disappeared off to.

000

     Star as quick as she had taken the buckle from her mother, had also quickly left the vicinity of the castle she lived in. Running from the large castle walls to head to the open space that laid behind those walls.

     "I can't wait to test this bad boy out!" Star slammed it against her belly button. A belt sprung from the buckle, wrapping itself around Star's waist.

     "IT DOESN'T WORK! There is no way I broke it already. Wait, I don't think I broke it already?" Star walked back towards the castle, sulking her way in as she paced back to the throne room, and back in front of her mother.

000

     "I was wondering when you'd return." Her mother gave her a stern look.

     Star rubbed the back of her head awkwardly, "Yeah… it doesn't work."

     "Of course it doesn't work. The buckle is merely your ticket to enter the tournament. It is also a tool, but it is useless without the cards."

     "And where are the cards?" Star pleaded.

     "Star, manners?"

     Star sighed and reluctantly replied, "I'm sorry mother. Pray. Tell. Where. May. I. Find. The. Cards?"

     The Queen would've given Star a stink eye for her daughter's belligerence, but found that this was at least an improvement to the usual. "You may find they are under the safekeeping of Glossaryck."

     "-ugh…- Glossaryck."

000

     Star stomped up the stone stairs, heading towards her room. She frustratingly swung her bedroom door and it heavily hit the wall next to it. On top of her bed was a golden book, and next to the book was a little blue man stuffing his face with a cup of tapioca pudding. Star shuddered at the idea of eating what she considered to be an abomination of sweets.

     Glossaryck smacked his lips. "Oh, did your mother give you the buckle? How did that go?"

     "It doesn't work without the cards Glossaryck."

     "You seem so angry Star. Just breathe and relax. I can help you with your problem. You just need to relax."

     "Give me the cards Glossaryck!"

     "You want the cards? Hmm." He tossed a new pudding cup towards Star. "Feed me."

     "What?! I am not feeding you Glossaryck."

     "Then you get no cards."

     "No, Glossaryck, it is my birthright. I am supposed to fight in this tournament. How am I supposed to fight without the cards?"

     "No. Understand Princess. Your birthright is that buckle. Your birthright is entry into the Grand Tournament. But it ends there. The cards must be earned."

     Slightly seething now, Star shot a cold stare at Glossaryck, "How am I supposed to earn them?"

     "I gave you the chance. But since you didn't take it, I'll forfeit that." The pudding cup levitated itself back to Glossaryck. "Now you have to actually earn them. To do so, you will have to fight against the contestants. Defeat them and seal them into the cards."

     "Fine. When do we do this?"

     Glossaryck whipped his left arm out and looked at it as if there were something to stare at. "Right about… now."

     Star looked around the room. "Nothing happened."

     "Give it a minute. Now."

     Star just stared at the little blue man expecting something. "Still nothing."

     "Hmm…" Glossaryck looked back at his wrist. "This thing must be an hour behind."

     "Everyti-"

     Star was cut off as the Chalice Rouser that she wore irradiated with light, and then Star, Glossaryck, and the book disappeared.


	4. Episode 01 - Chapter 03

Hoshi no Kirifuda  
Episode 01 - Chapter 03

Disclaimer:  
     The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred. These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

     Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes.

Author's Notes:  
     Last chapter for this episode, I guess? I'll put up the next batch of chapters soon.

000000

     Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

     The school clock was always so slow. Ms. Skullnick's class was always so slow thought a fourteen years old boy. He was studious and took all the notes, he doted every 'I' and crossed every 'T.' However, it didn't make listening to the troll of a teacher any easier.

     "Marco Diaz, if you could please come up to the board and solve this problem," announced the teacher.

     The boy got out of his desk and walked up towards the chalkboard. His red sweater catching on his desk, draggin the desk slightly.

     "Mr. Diaz, now."

     Marco shook off his embarrassment and continued towards the board. He solved the question easily, and walked back to his desk to sit back down.

     Upon taking his seat, Marco whispered to himself, "I wish things weren't so boring."

000

     The school bell rung signifying the end of the school day. Marco ran through the hallways to make it to his locker. Barely out of breath, he looked at his phone to see the time.

     "Just made it."

     He looked up to see wavy platinum blonde hair with an aqua streak.

     "Hey Jacki-," his voice cracked.

     "Hey Diaz, you alright?"

     Marco was getting lost in her mint green eyes. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm totally fine. I'm cool." He leaned against his locker.

     "Alright, don't go dying on me now. Got to go, I've got work to get to, catch you later."

     "Oh, yeah, sure, laters." He watched as Jackie Lynn Thomas the coolest girl in the school got on top of her skateboard and left Marco in the dust. He couldn't help but see that she was wearing her usual green and white raglan shirt that held itself close to her curvy body. Marco's eyes traced her cyan shorts just hugging against her rump as she skated away.

     However, Marco's thoughts were cut off. "Dude, if you stare any harder, you'd burn your eyes into her ass."

     He looked over to see a Filipino girl wearing an olive green shirt, turquoise jacket, yellow skirt, brown combat boots, and an olive green beanie.

     "I wasn't staring at anything Janna."

     "Diaz, just own up to your ass staring. I mean, I'd stare at that ass too."

     "Wait, what?"

     "What? I can't appreciate nice tail too?"

     "Y'know what, nevermind."

     Marco's head was spinning, his adolescent mind trying to process what Janna just said.

     "I'm going home Janna. Give me my keys."

     "What? I haven't done anything yet." She pouted at Marco.

     The girl had a penchant for thievery, mostly just Marco's things, and honestly it was just routine at this point, he didn't really mind. He didn't approve of it, but he knew he wasn't going to be able to stop her.

     "Come on Janna, we do this every day. You take my keys, I get them back."

     "Honestly, I haven't taken them this time."

     Marco searched his pocket, only to find out that she was right, she hadn't taken his keys. However, he noticed a very empty back pocket.

     "This time Diaz, I took your wallet."

     "Seriously Janna?! Give it back!"

     "Aw… Safe Kid Diaz wants it back?"

     "I'm not a Safe Kid! And yes, I want my wallet back."

     "Then show me that you're not a Safe Kid." Janna wagged Marco's wallet in front of him.

     Out of frustration, he pushed Janna up against the lockers. His right leg in between hers, his right hand slammed against the side of her head.

     "Please Janna, give me back my wallet."

     Janna's face a bit flushed and she smirked, "Fine, but-"

     Marco snatched his wallet from her hand before she could finish and walked away.

000

     Four peach colored walls.

     He took a deep breath in.

     One wooden door.

     He released his breath.

     The floor beneath his feet creaked as the wooden floorboards shifted with his weight.

     He positioned himself into a neutral stance.

     A poster hung on the wall where his bed laid, it held an image of two opposing hands with the words 'The hand of KARATE' exclaimed on it.

     He continued his breathing exercise.

     He wore a white karate gi, a green belt wrapped around his hip.

     He bent his knees, settling his center of gravity, he took a proper offensive stance that was ingrained into him through years of karate lessons.

     The blinds to his room were shut, he focused on the lack of light.

     Slowly, he began his repetition of karate katas.

     The globe in the corner of his room sat there collecting dust.

     He breathed a single word, "One."

     A picture of a cowboy hung above his bed backboard, the cowboy held out an outstretched hand as the horse it rode on stood on its hind legs.

     "Two."

     A few comics laid on top of his table where his television sat, furthest from the door.

     "Three."

     The skinny slits between each shudder on his closet door restrained and kept hidden his few secrets from the world.

     "Four."

     He shut his eyelids, blocking out unnecessary sensory. The world sank into darkness. In his mind's eye he saw himself in the center of a field of red roses that made up the design of a heart. Surrounding the roses were golden lilies and daffodils, outlining and accentuating the roses. The scents itched at his nose, a sweet and alluring smell from the pedals of the abundant flowers intoxicated him. He took in a deep breath, savoring the taste of temptation. This was the inner world of Marco Diaz. Where he came to just forget the problems of the world. It was here that he knew peace; peace from the everyday bustling of life, peace from the classroom, and peace away from the love life of being a fourteen year old boy. It was then that he heard a familiar noise. It was a knock.

     "Mijo? Dinner is ready."

     "Thanks dad, I'll be right down after I change out of my gi."

000

     Marco was taking the trash out and he looked up to the light polluted night sky.

     "Too bad I can't see the stars."

     Opening the trash can and tossing the tightly bound trash bag, he noticed that the sky lit up more so than usual. He squinted at the foreign source of light.

     "-ime Glossaryck! I know you like your riddles and games but I don't ha-"

     Marco stared at the mysterious blonde girl that appeared out of nowhere. She stood in the middle of the street, looking lost as she fervently shook her head trying to grasp at her current situation. Marco noticed that she was dressed elegantly, like some sort of celebrity.

     "Hey you, peasant!"

     Marco looked around and then questionably pointed at himself.

     "Yes you! Where am I?" the blond girl demanded.

     "Uh… You know what? It's been a long week, so I'm just going home." Marco turned on his heel and slinked back home.

     "Hey! You don't turn your back from a princess! Come back here peasant!"

     Marco reached for the door, intent on opening it, as he heard loud running footsteps from behind. He instinctively ducked and rolled out of the way. The blond girl performed a roundhouse kick that he barely dodged.

     "What the fu- Are you stupid? Just leave me alone, I don't want to hurt you."

     The blonde girl huffed, catching her own breath, "I'm not stupid, you're stupid. And trust me, I'm going to be the one hurting you."

     Marco got into a defensive stance. He may have been apprehensive against hurting people, but this was self-defense.

     The girl began with a quick one-two punch combination. Marco brushed aside the first fist, but met with the second one, blocking it as it was aimed at his face. Then a left knee charged itself at his chest. Again, he blocked the attack, this time however he fell backwards on his back.

     He thought to himself, 'She's pretty strong. I can't just stay on the defensive, or I'll be eating dirt soon.' Marco quickly performed a kick up, jumping with his back and landing on his feet. He prepared himself in a fighting stance, remembering his sensei's teachings.

     The blonde girl inquisitively stared at Marco, 'That's.. actually impressive.' She got back into her fighting stance, she stood square with an even center of gravity. Both of her hands in front of her preparing for a boy's counter attack.

     Marco slowly approached the blonde and examined her openings, 'Not sure where she learned to fight, but I can't tell where to attack from. She's just not strong, she's good.'

     Both of them eyed each other down, waiting for the other to throw the next blow. When another voice interrupted.

     "Star, you're not here to fight the natives, you've got a tournament remember?"

     Marco and the girl named Star turned their heads in the same direction, looking at a diminutive blue man who was hovering mid-air.

     "But peasants have to be put in their place Glossaryck," whined Star.

     "He's not a peasant Star. He's not from Mewni. We're not even on Mewni anymore."

     Simultaneously, both the boy and girl exclaimed in confusion at the same time, "What?!"

     Glossaryck faced Marco, "I'm sorry kid. She's a bit of a hot head. Plus, we're new to the neighborhood. So, how about this one time we chalk this up to… cultural differences?"

     'Cultural differences? Where were these two from? How is that little guy floating? What is Mewni? And did he say tournament, what tournament?' Marco shook his head a bit trying to process everything. "Uh… sure? As long as I get some answers?"

     The diamond pupils of the floating blue man stared down the young man. "We're not from this world, we come from Mewni. It is a world far from here, and not on any map that you know of. Let's keep it simple and just say that I'm magic. About the tournament, just ignore that, it isn't your concern. And before you ask, yes I read your mind, kind of. That answers the few question you had in your head, correct?"

     "Uh… yeah? And did you just- of course you did," lamented Marco.

     "Glossaryck, we can't just tell him everything!" chimed in Star.

     "You shut your mouth Star. You attacked the boy first, we owe him this much, and this is hardly everything."

     Star crossed her arms and pouted a bit at the little blue man's response.

     "Now if you'll excuse us Mister Marco Ubaldo Diaz, we have to be on our way."

     Marco stood there dumbfounded as he watched both Glossaryck and Star walked down the street away from him.

     "And this is how the weekend starts…" sighed Marco.


	5. Episode 02 - Chapter 01

Hoshi no Kirifuda  
Episode 02 - Chapter 01

Disclaimer:  
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred. These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes.

Author's Notes:

This is the start of Episode 02.

000000

     "SENSEI-NI REI!"

     Marco bowed in respect towards his sensei. "Arigatou gozaimashita."

     A man in a black sleeveless karate uniform with a red stripe down his leg stood up from his bow. He had a red belt on and a red headband around his forehead.

     "Alright guys, remember to meet up again next week. Also, Diaz, great job on channeling your hunger. Satiate your empty stomach with the heat of your... inner spirit!" spoke a gruff Californian accent. "Hyeh, huh, yah!"

     "Hai, Sensei."

     Marco had just finished another satisfying class of karate. His body was sore, but his spirit was tempered. He had been coming to this strip mall dojo for almost six years now. Though he may have first came here to to gain the confidence he needed to get past his early years worth of bullying, he now continues to pursue the path of the warrior. At least that's what he keeps telling himself.

     After finishing packing up his belongings, he bowed one final time towards the front of the room. "Mokusou yame." Then he left the dojo quietly, walking towards his crimson bicycle that was parked, chained, and locked outside of the town donut shop.

     It was late in the day, and the sun was going to set soon, Marco decided that it would be best to get home as soon as possible. However…

     "Ah-hah! FOOD!" shouted a familiar feminine voice.

     He knew it was against his better judgement, he knew that he should've just finished unlocking his bike and headed home, but it had been bugging him since yesterday. He clearly remembered the blonde haired girl who had attacked him last night. Another reason why he had recently reconsidered the importance of his karate lessons, he just wouldn't admit defeat. Though technically, it was a draw since nothing really happened after just a few thrown punches and that knee to his chest, but he would've beaten her if given the chance; he tried to convince himself.

     "Hello?" Marco echoed down the alleyway behind the donut shop.

     There were no responses. Marco began to walk down the alleyway curiously, looking for the source of the earlier shout.

     "Hello?" Again, Marco tried to get a response. "This is stupid, I should be going ho-"

     A rustling noise came from the dumpster. Suddenly the lid flipped open and a head of blonde hair popped from the recesses of the trash.

     Marco screeched in fear, "AHHH!"

     "AHHH!" screeched the blonde haired girl.

     "Don't do that!" They both yelled at each other simultaneously.

     Marco caught his breath and stared at the girl. 'I think her name was… Star? What is she doing in the trash?'

     Star stared right back at the boy, but she was also trying to stuff her mouth with a donut. The crumbs falling from her face as she greedily consumed the sugar ringed bread delectables. Star was trying to remember where she had seen him, but decided to just keep stuffing her face. She had been too hungry to worry where she had seen him from. An awkward silence burgeoned between the two.

     "Okay...," Marco decided to break the silence, "What are you doing here?"

     "Eat-ing," Star managed to say between bites.

     Marco rolled his eyes at her, "I can see that, what I meant to say was: what are you doing eating out of the trash?"

     Star swallowed her last donut bite. "Uh… obviously I found food and was eating it." Star crawled out of the trash can.

     Marco could clearly see that the clothes that she had been wearing since yesterday were already stained. He cringed slightly at the amount of dirt that clung to her clothes and skin.

     "Did you not go back home last night?"

     "Why would I go back home? I still have a mission. So, I spent last night here."

     "Wait… you spent the night in the dumpster?"

     "Is that what you call it? I chose it for the easy open and close entrance. It keeps the wind out." Star stood tall proud that she had used her father's teachings to find shelter.

     "Seriously, you spent the night in there? Wait… where is the small dude?" Marco looked around Star, double checking if he hadn't missed the small blue man.

     "You mean Glossaryck? He's in the book." Star pulled out a golden book from out of the dumpster.

     "You know what? I can't take you serious like this. Follow me."

     "Follow you?" Star raised an eyebrow, "Why should I follow you?"

     After a full day at karate class, Marco was almost too tired to even try to argue with the girl, "Please, I'm still sore from last night, I've had a full day, just don't argue with me."

     The wheels slowly turned in Star's head as she inspected closer to recognize Marco. "OH! That's why I recognized you. You're the belligerent peasant from last night."

     "You know what? Don't follow me, I don't even know what I was thinking being nice to you."

     Marco just turned around and headed towards his bike with Star following him in tow.

000

     Usually the trip home was short, the strip mall was just a few blocks away from home. However, this time it had taken Marco a bit longer than he had expected to get back home, but that was to be expected since he had another passenger on his bike. And she did not shut up.

     "So, there are no invisible goats that pull this thing?" Star asked.

     "No," sullenly replied Marco.

     "How does it work then? Does it run on magic stones? Did you sell your soul to the Old Gods?"

     "What? No. -ugh- I don't know. You put your feet on the pedals and just push. It just works."

     "That doesn't sound right. It has to be magic."

     The questions just never stopped. However, luckily for Marco, he finally reached the front of his house. He got off the bike, waiting for Star to do the same. She leapt off the bike with her large golden book in hand. 'I wonder how much that book weighs. As if I wasn't sore already, I'm going to be in pain later. Note to self, stretch before sleeping.' Marco opened up the garage and stored his bike inside.

     He looked at Star, "Wait outside for a minute, I've got to make sure no one else is home." Marco noticed that the family car was out, but he didn't know if either of his parents stayed home. He walked into his house and noticed a note on the table, it read:

_Mijo, your Mother and I have gone to dinner. We've left you money on the table for pizza. Your mother wanted a weekend out, so we've also gotten a private room somewhere. We'll see you tomorrow night. Stay safe._

     Marco shoved the thought of what his parents were going to do out of his head. "I swear those two are worse than teenagers sometimes."

     "Who are?" piped in Star.

     Marco spun around, with a deadpan face, he looked at Star in disbelief. "I thought I told you to wait outside?"

     "Did you? I don't follow orders from a peasant."

     "Again, with the peasant thing." Marco took a deep breath to calm himself, "Please, my name is Marco."

     Star just chose to not recognize Marco; and he was too tired to care right now.

     "Whatever. Up the stairs, second door to the left, that is where the bathroom is. Take a shower. I'll find something clean for you to wear, after I order pizza."

     "I am to bathe myself?" This was new to Star, she had always had servants to take care of her.

     Marco went red in the face, "YES! TAKE A SHOWER! I'M NOT GOING TO LOOK AT YOU!"

     Star turned a similar shade of red as it dawned on her as to what Marco had been implying at. Without another word, she nearly ran up the stair towards the bathroom.

     Marco pulled out his cellphone, sighed, and started ordering pizza.

000

     "Star? Star, are you okay? Do you need help turning on the water?" Marco stood outside the bathroom door. In his arms were some clothes. He didn't have anything in Star's size, but he had a few things from right before puberty began to hit him hard. 'Hopefully it'll fit…' Marco had been worried, he had already ordered pizza, changed into his signature red hoodie and jeans, and yet he hadn't heard the shower turn on.

     "I'm alright, I figured it out! It isn't as big as the bath back at home, but it is to be expected from a peasant's home! I just used the water from this round bowl!"

     "..." Marco facepalmed, "STAR! NO! DON'T USE THAT!"

     It was then that Marco heard the toilet flush.

     "Star, there are body towels in there. Can you please wrap yourself in them and then come open up the door? I want to show you something."

     Shortly afterwards, the door to the bathroom opened up. Marco looked in, expecting a half nude blonde haired girl, instead what he got was Star wrapped up like a mummy in half a dozen towels.

     "Did you bring me clothes peasant?" muffled Star through a towel.

     The dumbfounded face returned to Marco, "Uh-huh… Star… Did you use the toilet to clean yourself? Don't answer that." He walked over to the shower, he opened up the shower door, and turned the shower on. "I'm going to go back down and wait for the pizza. This time, use this to clean yourself. This is called a shower. You turn this knob to turn on water like so, depending on how you turn it, you also change the temperature of the water. I have different scented shampoos, choose one of your liking. Please, wash yourself again." Marco walked over to the sink and set down the clothes he had brought Star. "Change into these when you're done with the shower. I'm going to throw your clothes into the wash. Don't use the water from the toilet like that again." Marco picked up Star's defiled clothes, and walked out of the bathroom. The look of disbelief never left his face.

     "And I was told this place didn't have magic." Marco heard from Star before shutting the door behind him.

000

     "That'll be $21.67."

     Marco handed the pizza delivery kid $25. "Just keep the change." Marco took the two large pizzas from the hands of the delivery kid and closed the door behind him.

     Footsteps came from the second floor, which caught the attention of Marco. He looked up to see Star. She had put on his old gray t-shirt, it visibly said "I KISSED A NINJA AT KARATE KON 2012," and had an almost uncanny look-a-like of him on the shirt kissing a ninja. Beneath the shirt she wore a very loose pair of black gym shorts he had found in his closet. Everything seemed almost too large on her small frame; the shit hung on her shoulder and the shorts were tied ridiculously tight that where the top of the shorts met with Star's stomach was a bulge of extra material.

     "Great timing, Pizza arrived." Margo grinned at Star and thought to himself, 'At least she figured out how to turn off the shower.'

     Star's left eyebrow rose, "Pis-sah?"

     "Yeah, pizza. I didn't know what you liked, so I got double pepperoni and a Hawaiian. It looked like you enjoy sweets, hopefully you'll like it. It's got pineapple."

     Star just continued to look at Marco as if she were a tourist in a foreign land. Scratch that, that's exactly what Star was.

     "Here, pull up a seat. You eat it like this." Marco pulled off a slice of pepperoni pizza, the hot cheese oozed off the slice, and the pepperonis desperately clung to the cheese. The grease from the pizza dripped from Marco's lips as he bit into his slice. He swallowed before he directed at Star, "See, easy."

     Star dribbled a bit of saliva from the side of her mouth, "Meat…" Star lifted a slice of pepperoni pizza, only for it to be knocked from her hands.

     "STAR! UNDEAD!" The little blue man had popped seemingly out of nowhere, disturbing Star's first bite.

     "Glossaryck, seriously now?!" Star screamed.

     "I'm sorry, but it might be easier to fight without the greasy food in your stomach."

     Marco just eyed the small man.

     "Here," Glossaryck flipped pages in the golden book until he came upon a page, "The book says that it is the Two of Spades. I don't know what it is doing around here, but we have to seal it."

     Star pouted, "-Ugh…- Worse timing ever."

     Marco interjected, "Uhm… what is an Undead? Like a zombie?"

     "No, they're monsters I have to beat for this tournament." An idea popped into Star's head. "You know what? You'll be my squire, come see for yourself!"

     Star grabbed Marco's left hand and dragged him outside; Glossaryck and the book following shortly behind.


	6. Episode 02 - Chapter 02

Hoshi no Kirifuda  
Episode 02 - Chapter 02

Disclaimer:  
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred. These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes.

Author's Notes:

The Undead speak Klingon. Honestly, it was just odd and obscure enough, but not too obscure that I couldn't find a translator. If you're curious, you're free to run it through the translator again. No guarantee that you'll get the exact wording, close enough to get the gist of it.

000000

     Having followed Glossaryck's directions, the small group had found their way back behind the donut shop. However, this time it was under the cover of darkness. The Californian sky again was having a hard time with the stars, but at least the moon was out in a waxing crescent.

     "What are we doing here?" whispered Marco.

     "Quiet." Star replied in a low tone. Her eyes scanned the premises. 'Maybe it was a mistake to drag him along? But I need a guide, I don't know anything about this backwards of a world.'

     'I don't know why I keep getting myself dragged with this girl. I should've just left her in the dumpster earlier. What was I-' Marco's thought was cut off as the said dumpster behind the donut shop was thrown in their direction. Both Marco and Star leapt out of the impact, quickly recovering.

     "What is THAT?!" Marco pointed towards a tall skulking shadow. When it finally revealed itself in the light of the moon, it was a six foot tall monster with green reptilian skin, and was covered in armor. It's head resembled a lizard's and it had a tail to go with it. Protruding from the armor were several blades going in all different directions. Where it's right forearm should've been was instead a long sword. Around it's waist was a belt with a gray spade shaped buckle on it.

     The monster faced the pale faced Marco unleashing a tongue unknown to Marco, "nuqDaq 'oH qu'bogh chaw'?"

     Marco didn't know how to respond, but he watched as Star charged at the creature from it's blind spot. The monster defended itself, it was slightly thrown off by the sudden appearance of Star, but immediately regained composure. It used its sword arm slicing at the air where Star narrowly dodged its strikes. The monster relentlessly attacked Star, its eyes growing red in fury as Star continued to dodge and parry its attacks.

     "largh SoH rur jIH. chay' laH tu'lu' ghol chu'? Mewman?" The monster again bellowed that unknown language. It caught glimpse of the red and gold buckle beneath Star's large shirt, and pointed at the Chalice Rouser. "nuqDaq 'e' poHlIj? HoS HInob."

     Star finally responded, "qorDu' HoS ghotvam'e'. naDev SoH, latlh mIw towards yay ngaQ."

     At the end of Star's last word, the monster caught Star with the flat edge of its blade arm, tossing Star to the side. Ending Marco's stupor, he raced towards Star.

000

     "You know? I wish I had popcorn for this." Glossaryck watched, sitting on top of what remained of the dumpster. "That kid is gonna die if Star gets serious."

     The golden book flipped pages until a gray rectangular item popped out it. Glossaryck's eyes nearly jumped out of their sockets.

     "You want to give the boy the Blay Buckler?" The words came out of Glossaryck's mouth, but he hardly believed them. "I know it's been ten thousand years, but have you lost a few pages?" The book didn't respond. "Fine. I'll do my job and do as I am told. I still think this is a bad idea."

000

     Marco skid next to Star, his body also easily tossed. The monster raised its blade arm, ready to guillotine Marco's neck.

     'This is how I'm going to die? Behind a donut shop, protecting a stranger?' Marco's mind raced, he regretted not being able to at least say his goodbyes.

     Before the monster could swing at Marco, Star lunged at it, knocking it down.

     "Hey, kid, boy." Next to Marco was Glossaryck. "Want to help Star?"

     Marco strained to lift his head off the pavement towards Glossaryck, "Sure."

     "Then listen to my instructions," Glossaryck handed Marco a rectangular gray buckle. "Put the buckle where your waist should be. Once you do that, put this card into this slot on the side here, pull the lever, and yell HENSHIN. Got it?"

     "Transform?" meekly asked Marco.

     "At least you know what the word means, now stop asking questions and do as I instructed."

     Marco looked up to see Star being tossed around like a rag doll. 'I guess I've got nothing to lose. If I survive this I'll have so many questions to ask.'

     "And I will answer what I can Marco Diaz."

     "How-? Right, mind reading."

     Marco pushed himself off the cold hard asphalt and stood up. Everything hurt, and he couldn't help but wonder if he was just unlucky or was this going to just be the worse weekend of his life. Following Glossaryck's instructions, he put the buckle on his waist. A belt appeared around his waist, snuggly holding the buckle in place.

     "Hey! Lizard breath!" Marco shouted towards the monster.

     The monster looked down towards the body of Star, and decided to cut into her left calf. Red blood spilled from the wound and Star howled in pain.

     Marco was enraged. Sure, he didn't really know Star, he didn't have any reason to save her, he got up and could've just as easily ran away from this, but that wasn't Marco Diaz.

     "You son of a BITCH! FACE ME!"

     Finally, the monster once again looked at Marco, specifically the Blay Buckle that rested on Marco's waist.

     "You are Kamen Rider? You are enemy!" The lizard monster turned its full attention towards Marco. The rage in its eyes glowed hot red, like a piece of steel that had just left the furnace.

     'Wait, I can understand that.'

     "Kid, you have to finish instructions, or you're going to die," chimed Glossaryck.

     The lizard monster rapidly gained momentum as it began to charge at Marco. Quickly, Marco inserted the card and pulled on the lever as the belt buckle announced, "TURN UP!" The card on the buckle flipped over to reveal a golden spade against a red background. From this spade emerged a translucent blue wall that appeared in front of Marco, it appeared to have been made of some sort of energy or electricity. The lizard monster didn't slow down, and ran into the wall, bouncing off it like a rubber ball.

     "HENSHIN!" But nothing happened.

     Marco blankly looked at himself noticing that the wall just stood in front of him. Glossaryck sighed, and just pushed Marco into the wall. Unlike the lizard monster, Marco did not bounce off the wall. Instead, light surrounded him, and when he emerged from the other side of the wall, he was now wearing silver armor that had a skin tight black bodysuit underneath it. He wore a black helmet with a silver faceplate, the crown of the faceplate came to an edge, creating a sharpened horn on his head. He saw through large red bug like eyes. The chest piece of his armor came together to meet a spade symbol, accented by gold trimmings. He had a golden brace on each of his arms; and he wore silver boots. Everything felt like he was encased in metal, it was hard and resilient; but it felt organic like a carapace.

     The lizard monster got back up on his legs, shocked to see Marco's transformation. "Kamen Rider... Blade…" it hissed. "How?"

     Not giving it a chance, Marco took on an offensive stance and struck multiple blows to the monster. But the lizard monster wouldn't give up, it swung the heavy blade arm downwards, only for Marco to catch it between his hands. It tried desperately to shake Marco off the blade, but Marco held it in place.

     "You don't get to hurt anyone else with this." With a burst of strength, Marco bent the blade and snapped it off.

     The monster was thrown off balance and it fell backwards, tripping on its own tail. Marco picked up what remained of the blade, intending to repay the pain it had inflicted on Star. Suddenly another blue light came from his buckler, it transformed the broken blade into a weapon more fitting for Marco. Whereas it originally was a large heavy blade, this new weapon was a mid length skinny edged weapon. The blade itself looked like a katana; the edge was silver like his armor, the groove in the sword was gold, and the handle was black. It had a crossguard that unfurled like a hand of cards, revealing blank cards with an intricate red back design. At the end of the handle of the katana was a golden menuki in the shape of a spade that was divided in the middle with a slit. Resting on his left hip was now a saya, the scabbard for his sword; it was black in color with a golden knot that wrapped around it.

     Caught in the moment of the battle, Marco didn't question what happened, and only saw it as his chance. With a deft swing, his new katana sliced through the lizard monster. Where it's divided body laid, the bottom half that had the gray buckle unlocked.

     "Good job Kid, but it is an Undead, they don't stay dead. You'll have to use one of those blanks you got to seal it away. Toss it at the body." Glossaryck motioned at Marco.

     Marco pulled out a blank card from his sword, and threw it at the body of the Lizard Undead. A grotesque green light wrapped around the two halves of the body and sucked it into the card. The blank card now had a picture lizard with a sword tail on it. Beneath the picture was the word SLASH on it, and in the top left and bottom right of the card was the number two and a spade symbol. Marco picked up the card, his transformation ending, and his armored suit fading away along with his sword.

     Star walked up to Marco, where her injury was before, it had just vanished. She had a look of relief and yet frustration in her eyes. Star was glad that Marco had made it out alive. However, she was furious that Glossaryck had given him the Blay Buckler and a card to use, before Star had a chance to.

     Marco, too exhausted to read the situation just smiled at Star and fell over.

000

     Marco had woken up in his living room, laying on his couch. He tried to move, but realised that Star had her weight on top of him and she was out like a light. Marco struggled trying to remember what happened, trying to recall how he got home, as the last thing he remembered was defeating the Lizard Undead. He then noticed that he was filthy as was Star, their clothes, at least what remained of them, were all in terrible shape. But as dirty as they both were, Marco could smell the soft smell of his shampoo in Star's hair. He felt her warmth, and that was when he realized what kind of position he was in. He tried not to move, afraid that Star would wake up with the wrong impression.

     "Don't worry kid. The worst thing she could do is punch you in the face."

     Marco looked up, seeing Glossaryck slide a slice of pizza into his mouth.

     "If you're still wondering, Star carried you home. Said something along the lines of picking the right squire or something. She laid you on the furniture and crashed on top of you. So, just go to back to sleep, you did a good job, and deserve the rest. I'll answer what I can in the morning, it seems like destiny has quite a bit in stored for you, Blade."

     Marco couldn't quite make out that last bit from Glossarcyk as his body pulled him back to sleep.


	7. Episode 02 - Chapter 03

Hoshi no Kirifuda  
Episode 02 - Chapter 03

Disclaimer:  
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred. These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes.

Author's Notes:

Just a heads up, though most of my references will be from Kamen Rider Blade, there will be references to other Kamen Rider series.

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     In a hidden location, sat a very tiny being. He looked like a sickly gray and green colored bird. He had a dark gray beak that hid his sharp white fangs. He wore a drab mossy green business suit, a white button up shirt, and a black tie. On his head rested a large skull; it appeared to be a crocodile or alligator, but protruding from the sides were two horns, one on each side.

     "Sir, I must inform you that we have lost the Two of Spades," a pale green humanoid frog informed the small bird man. The frog-man wore a green tunic with a golden condor that perched on top of a world on it.

     "How many times must I tell you Buff Frog, how must you address me before anything else?" The bird man's eyes glowed with a terrifying yellow.

     Buff Frog stood at a bellamy salute, his back straight and his right arm pointed flat outwards at an angle towards the ceiling. "YEE! AMBASSADOR LUDO! MEW-SHOCKER BANZAI!"

     Ludo looked up and down Buff Frog, "That is better, you were saying?"

     "Our informants have reported that we have lost the Two of Spades. It was attacked by a boy and girl, both in their teens. Reports say that the young boy transformed into a Kamen Rider and defeated it."

     "A Kamen Rider? That's not possible, it is too soon." Ludo swiped at Buff Frog only to just smack the much taller frog-man's legs. "Bend down!"

     Buff Frog bent over to receive a slap to the face.

     "We have just lost one of our cards. How are we going to make up for this?" growled Ludo.

     "Sir, I also have more to report."

     Ludo ground his teeth, "What else can go wrong?"

     "I have just also received reports that the night before we had a raid at one of our research facilities. All of the reports say that a purple butterfly monster accompanied with a floating blue man attacked and stole the Ace of Spades we had kept there to research along with the Two of Hearts before its escape. The facility blew up in the attack."

     "WHAT?! That must be how that brat got a card to transform. But that doesn't explain where he got the buckle to do so."

     It was then that Ludo's right hand began to glow. It was a neon green glow that came from what looked to be a broken half of a star. Ludo put his right hand next to his ear, as if he were picking up a phone call.

     "Excuse me, I have to take this." Ludo shoo'd Buff Frog away.

     The frog-man stood up tall and performed the salute again, "YEE! MEW-SHOCK-"

     "Get the fuck out of here Buff Frog, I have an important phone call to pick up!"

     Buff Frog quickly left the room, leaving Ludo in privacy. Ludo, put his hand back up to his ear.

     "Yes? Yes. We have lost a few cards and the test subject." Sweat began to drip from Ludo's forehead, "Everything is still on sche- Oh! You want me to speed up the project? Bu-bu-but. No buts. Yes sir. We'll have our spies watching the boy. You don't care for the boy? You're telling me that the girl is more important? But the boy transformed into a Kamen Rider sir."

     Ludo's glowing fist punched himself in his right eye, Ludo winced in pain as he brought his hand back to his ear.

     "Yes sir, I'll stop hitting myself sir. As you said, I will have Buff Frog monitor the girl- and the boy? That's what I was sayi-"

     This time Ludo's glowing hand slapped himself; he landed on the floor with a thud. He brought his hand back to his ear.

     "I... won't interrupt again sir. You give the orders and I will follow them. Banzai, Mew-Shocker." The glow in his hand disappeared.

     Ludo laid on the floor, he looked up to the ceiling where a mural of a large golden condor clutched at the world against a crimson backdrop, and sighed before pushing himself up off the cold floor.

     "BUFF FROG GET IN HERE!"

     Buff Frog ran into the room as soon as possible, only to see what looked like a developing black eye on Ludo.

     "You called Ambassador Ludo?"

     "Not a single word from you! Bend down!" Ludo gave Buff Frog another slap in the face. "We have work to do."


	8. Episode 03 - Chapter 01

Hoshi no Kirifuda  
Episode 03 - Chapter 01

Disclaimer:  
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred. These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes.

Author's Notes:

Starting Episode 3.

It seems like I've gotten a few readers for this piece of work of mine. I would like to thank those who have put up with me so far. However, I would love to hear some feedback. I'm not just writing for self-gratification, I appreciate some pointers to help improve my writing. Please and thank you.

Now onto the next episode.

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     Star didn't want to wake up, it was warm and comfy. She snuggled closer to the heat source.

     "Mmm… Star… wake up."

     Star ignored the plea, pressing herself closer to the warmth.

     "Star, please wake up. I've got to go use the bathroom," begged Marco. It was Sunday, Marco looked at his cell phone, it was just a little bit over 10 o'clock in the morning. Like any other morning after waking up, nature called. However, he was half reluctant to move from the couch, it was hard to want to find the motivation to do so when a cute blonde headed girl laid on top of you; it was hard in more ways than one.

     '-Ugh- My hormones are going to be the death of me.' admitted Marco. 'I've got a thing for Jackie, I don't need this in my life right now.' He looked at Star laying on top of him, she quietly laid there. 'She's kinda cute when she's quiet... and not shouting in my face.' It was then that Marco noticed that Star's lips were slightly parted, just enough for drool to pool on Marco. 'I take that back, I don't know if this is an improvement or worse. I can't wait any longer, I'm just gonna try to slide out from underneath.'

     Marco lifted Star just slightly, he slowly pulled himself out from under her. His eyes widened as he realized his left arm was caught underneath the girl, in a most precarious place. it was squished between the couch and Star's budding chest. He had noticed that their clothes were in tatters from last night's battle, and he was making skin to skin contact. It wasn't news to anyone that Marco was young, and this was the first time he had felt anything so soft. Was it like marshmallows? A new pillow? He couldn't put his finger on it, figuratively.

     Star stirred, "-Ergh- I don't wan-na wake up…"

     Marco froze. He didn't know what to do if he was caught like this. The situation wasn't entirely his fault, but he knew it didn't matter at this point. If Star woke up now, she'd basically catch him with his hand in the cookie jar.

     It was at this moment, Star turned on her side, she was searching for the warmth that had disappeared. Fortunately for Marco, it was away from him. He took this opportunity to pull out the rest of his arm.

     "My aren't _you_ the lucky one?"

     The voice startled Marco and he fell backwards onto the floor. He noticed that Glossaryck was just floating above Marco's head. 'How long had he just sat there watching?'

     "I saw the whole thing. Don't worry, I won't tell. You're a young kid, you're free to… have those thoughts." Glossaryck just devilishly grinned.

     Marco's face turned red, and he quickly headed upstairs to the bathroom. He was going to need a cold shower, and some new clothes.

000

     Star had woken up to the sounds of the shower. She looked around for Marco, only to see Glossaryck. Whom she was still angry with. 'Why had he helped Marco and not me? Why give Marco the card? I'm the one who is fighting in the tournament.'

     "Good morning Star."

     "Morning Glossaryck," Star grumbled.

     "You seem angry at something. A penny for your thoughts?" Glossaryck inquired.

     Star double checked for Marco, she heard the continued noises of the shower. 'He must be washing himself.' Star then turned her attention to Glossaryck. "Why did you give him a card? I'm supposed to be the one fighting, not him."

     "Why Star, who do you mean?"

     "Nuh-uh," Star wasn't in the mood for the usual from Glossaryck. "I want answers. You're not dodging this one."

     "Hmm... ? Well, how about this? I'll tell you, but only when the boy is around. I'm going to tell him anyways, I'm not doing this twice."

     "Fine." Star relented, she knew that this was better than never getting an answer like usual.

     "Star? You awake?" Marco's voice slightly boomed in the house. He wasn't quite yelling, but he wasn't using an indoor voice either.

     "Yes… Mar… Mar-co." Star had decided to use the peasant's name. Even if she was angry at Glossaryck for helping Marco, she couldn't be mad at the boy. He had done what he could last night. She wouldn't have lost against the Undead, but she wasn't going to admit that Marco had truly impressed her with his actions.

     Glossaryck smiled at the awkward girl and hopped back into the golden book.

     Marco, was slightly taken aback from hearing his name from Star. He was just beginning to get used to her ignoring his name. "Uh… Okay Star, I'm going to finish changing into fresh clothes. You can hop in the shower, I'll look for something else for you to wear. We pretty much ruined the ones from last night."

     Star looked at herself, only to see that the clothes she had borrowed from the boy were torn, slightly revealing her skin underneath. She blushed, wondering how much he had gotten to see if any last night. She wasn't wearing any undergarments, and she guessed the boy had none to loan. The audible sound of a door shutting had Star figure that the boy had returned to his room. Star decided that she'd take him up on his offer to take another shower.

000

     It was almost noon when both Marco and Star were presentable and ready. Marco had reheated the pizza from last night. Both of them were stuffing their faces in the dining room, the smell of food had triggered their hunger from the night before. As they were eating, Glossaryck took this time to answer questions.

     "I guess I'll start from the beginning?" Glossaryck shrugged his shoulders. He pulled the golden book and laid it on the table. Its pages flipped until it opened up to a pop-up page. "Star and I are here to fight against monsters similar to the one you both fought last night. These monsters are called Undead." Glossaryck pulled on a tab, different monsters in armor popped up and stormed the page Glossaryck was on. "They are not zombies or ghouls, at least not in the sense that you comprehend Marco. The Undead are veteran warriors who are competing in the Battle Royal. Each of them unable to truly die, but they can be defeated and sealed away like you did last night. Originally the plan was to just have Star do all the heavy lifting, since she has the right of entry into the tournament via the Chalice Rouser."

     Star was now wearing a light blue t-shirt with a unicorn that had a round glass helmet on floating in space, the words _SPACE UNICORN! SOARING THROUGH THE STARS!_ in bright rainbow colors. Star lifted up her shirt slightly to reveal the Chalice Rouser resting against her stomach. Her bottoms were another pair of black shorts, how many of these Marco had, he didn't keep count.

     Marco swallowed his bite of pizza. "Okay, and if this was a fight was only for Star, how did I get involved?"

     "You mean besides the fact that Star dragged you? Well… in layman's terms? You cheated."

     Marco nearly spat out his current bite of pizza, "I cheated?!"

     "Marco, see, I'm what you would call a… commentator. I don't do anything in this tournament really. I am supposed to watch and not interfere. But, my boss had given me instructions to… get you involved."

     Marco unzipped his red hoodie. It wasn't the same one as yesterday, it was just another out of a dozen he had; minus one.

     Star spoke with her mouth slightly full of cheese, "Is that why you gave him the buckle?"

     "Yes Star. Right now, Marco is another entrant in the tournament, he is using an invitation addressed to someone else. However, for all intents and purposes, Marco is an illegal entrant. At the end of the tournament, no matter what Marco does, he cannot win the prize."

     Marco lifted up his shirt, to see that the Blay Buckler was missing. "Uh… about that, I don't know where it went."

     Star raised her hand enthusiastically. "Oh! Oh! Pick me!"

     "Star," Marco raised an eyebrow.

     "You just have to will it back, imagine yourself wearing the belt, and it'll appear like magic. Well it is magic."

     Marco just nodded slowly and followed Star's instruction. He suddenly felt cold metal against his skin. He saw the buckler manifest itself around his waist.

     "You mentioned a prize, what is it?" Marco addressed Glossaryck.

     Glossaryck put his hands together, each digit aligned with its mirror, "Irrelevant to you. You're an illegal entrant. There are no prizes for you."

     "Then why should I help?"

     "I don't know. True this is Star's fight and not yours. I gave you the Blay Buckler because you wanted to help Star last night. Regardless of what my instructions are, you have free will. From this point on, if you want to help, then help; if you don't, then don't. No one is twisting your arm."

     "So, what does Star get if she wins?"

     "Listen, kid, why worry about that? That is for Star, and she knows what she gets. Just ask her."

     "Star?"

     Star finished her last slice of pizza, "I get to go back home as a champion, earning adoration for my kingdom. Securing my throne as Queen of Mewni."

     "Okay… So how many Undead are there?"

     "Fifty-two. But as of right now, you don't have to worry about three of them. You've been given the Ace of Spades that allow you to transform. The Two of Spades last night was sealed. And the third…" Glossaryck's voice trailed off.

     "And you're going to give me the third card right Glossaryck?!" Star vented at the small man.

     Glossaryck didn't bat an eye, "No."

     Marco was nearly knocked aside as Star jumped out of her seat. "WHY?! Marco gets to transform all cool-like!"

     Again, Glossaryck continued with his poker face, "As it is right now, it is too dangerous to give you this card. Maybe later, when you've earned it."

     Star fumed, she didn't like being told that she didn't deserve this power; jealousy of Marco ate at her. She didn't understand why this was the case, why Marco still got a card before she did. Even after hearing his explanation, she concluded that Glossaryck could've instead given her the Ace of Spades.

     "Whoo! I'm beat kids. Question time is up, because, Unde-"

     Glossaryck was cut off as the doorbell rang.


	9. Episode 03 - Chapter 02

Hoshi no Kirifuda  
Episode 03 - Chapter 02

Disclaimer:  
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred. These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes.

Author's Notes:

Nothing, keep going.

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     Earlier that day, in a remote location, a tiny figure sat upon a large throne that positioned itself at the head of a large oblong table. Around the table sat a total of thirteen figures, each of them cloaked in darkness. Only the faint candle light that hung in the chandelier above the table allowed for their forms to be seen as outlines against the darkness.

     "I've instructed Ambassador Ludo to accelerate the plans. It seems that Glossaryck has arrived to this cesspool of a planet in search of his master's playthings," a low and imposing voice slithered itself out of the tiny figure. His eyes glowed neon green, revealing the immaculate moss colored business suit he had on and his black tie.

     One of the figures who sat at the table spoke with a gruff voice, "Will we still be on schedule?"

     The figure that sat directly across the other slammed its fists against the table. "I don't care about this plan of yours. I just want to fight!" The table rattled as large claws from its hands raked against it.

     The claws chipped at the paint of the table, revealing that it had been divided into fifths. Four out of the five sections each had a different card suit on them; spade, heart, diamond, and club. At each of these four sections sat three figures. In the last section of the table it had a golden condor perched on a world. It was at this last section that the tiny figure sat by himself.

     "Please, do not do that again. It is quite uncouth." The tiny figure pointed at the now scratched out heart on the table. "It would be a pain to get that fixed every time before we meet. Now, I understand that you all are… impatient. However, we must meet our common enemy with practicality. After everything has been dealt with, you may do as you wish."

     "I don't see the point of all this. None of us are going to escape our imprisonment for long. From these documents that we've been given, it seems as our jailer has come for all of us," politely spoke a male voice from the club section of the table. "I will not interfere with your plan, but I will not support it. I suggest that we enjoy what little freedom we have now, before our capture."

     A voice from the spade section laughed, "HA-HA! I forgot how much of a yellow belly you were the first time around. If you're so inclined to be sealed again I could fulfill your wish now."

     "And this is why I believe our alliance will be short lived. Our families were never fond of each other," the first gruff voice lamented; it sat at the diamond section. "However, I do believe that it would be best that for the time being, that we avoid each other and to do the parts that we've been given in this plan."

     The tiny figure's eyes sharply glowed as it stared at each of the figures at the table. "Or would you all rather just be put back from whence you came? I see no volunteers. You were all freed to end the injustices that were dealt. As we are all aware, just because you all are not capable of dying, there are worse thing than death."

     None of them refuted this and all just nodded in agreement.

     "Good. Now that we've come to an agreement, again, let us continue," exasperated the tiny figure. "As I originally started, we are accelerating the plan. I've told Ludo to release all those who are of category ten and below. They will be free to do as they will. The mayhem that they'll cause will buy us enough time and in the process allow us to test the boundaries of our toys. The first prototype has been given out, and I do have high hopes for it. In addition, Buff Frog has been given instructions to monitor the alleged sightings of this other Kamen Rider. Which should provide more data."

     "And what will we be doing with this data of yours?" hissed a voice from the diamond section.

     "As we discussed, the last time you all lost was because of the advantages that Eclipsa had. This time, it will be of no concern, if everything goes according to plan. And it will."

     "We will play our parts for now," a sly voice came from the heart section. "However, I agree with the Diamond King. We will perform what is necessary, but please excuse us as we also prepare for our own end games."

     The tiny figure sighed, "Very well, as long as it has no interference. I see nothing wrong with that. I understand that our alliance will ultimately break in the end, I can't expect any of you to not have your own agendas." The tiny figure's head turned to look at the clock on the wall, "Ah, it seems as though our time is coming to an end. Let us meet again, Royal Club, when-" The tiny figure was cut short as the glow in its eyes began to fade. "Begone! All of you!"

     All of the other figures stood up from their seats and faded into the shadows.

000

     A tiny bird man slumped in the arm of a large throne.

     "BUFF FROG! BRING ME MY MEDICINE! THIS HEADACHE IS GOING TO KILL ME!" yelled Ludo as he began to loosen his black tie.

     Buff Frog hopped into the chambers with a glass of water and some white pills. He rushed over, avoiding the large round table in the center of the room. "Ludo, sir! I have your-"

     "HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU?!"

     The glow in Ludo's right hand faded away.


	10. Episode 03 - Chapter 03

Hoshi no Kirifuda  
Episode 03 - Chapter 03

Disclaimer:  
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred. These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes.

Author's Notes:

Move along.

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     The doorbell rang again.

     Marco headed towards the front door, "I got it."

     "Uh… Too late I guess?" Glossaryck shrugged his shoulders as the door was opened.

     Waiting at the door was a tall lithe woman; Marco stood in front of her and she had to still be at least a foot and a half taller than him. She wore a lime green sundress that had pink polka dots in various sizes scattered all over it. She was fair skinned and had long straight almond hair that reached the middle of her back. She had on a pair of thin black framed round glasses that rested on her square nose, accenting her hazel green pupils. Her make-up was plain, her naturally long eyelashes weren't in need of emphasis, it looked like she had a light foundation on her cheeks to bring out her cheekbones, and on each cheek were mint colored hearts. On her lips were a near clear pink lip gloss. She smiled, and her almost unnatural white teeth peered between her lips.

     "Hello. I'm looking for a Mrs. Butterfly," the tall woman curtsied.

     "Uh… I'm sorry this is the Diaz residence, I think you're at the wrong address," Marco tried to politely tell the stranger.

     "Are you sure? Because I know my sister and her games. She has to be here. She was always liked playing hide-and-seek. You may know her of the name Eclipsa Butterfly."

     Star slowly walked towards Marco, "Hi, I'm sorry, I don't know of whom you're looking for. However, I am Star Butterfly, current princess to the Mewni Kingdom." Star curtsied in slight awkwardness.

     The tall stranger inquisitively gazed at Star for a second before responding, "Another Butterfly? I apologize for being so rude. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Crescenta Butterfly, The Eager, Twenty-First Queen of Mewni."

     Both Star and Marco's jaws dropped at the information.

     "Star, as a princess don't just stand there like a gaberdook caught in the path of a warnicorn. Please invite me in," Crescenta ordered the princess.

     "Marco, as my squire, invite her in!"

     "Yes, Princess Star…" Marco reluctantly played along. "Ahem. Introducing Queen Crescenta Butterfly, The Eager, Twenty-First Queen of Mewni." Marco gave a bow as he fully opened the door, letting the queen into the living room.

     "You need some work young squire, however… your bow was more than adequate. Oh-ho-ho," Crescenta found the humor in Marco's attempt at a royal introduction.

000

     After all the formalities and pleasantries between the two Butterflies had past, Crescenta gained a serious look on her face. She had dropped her smile, instead adopting a stern and regal face.

     "Star? You said you are a Butterfly correct?"

     "Yes, my lady."

     Again, Crescenta gave Star that inquisitive look, like she couldn't believe what Star had told her. It wasn't that what Star had said sounded like a lie, it was that what Star had said should've been impossible.

     They had all left the living room, sitting together at the dining table. Marco had opted to make his self-proclaimed world famous nachos. He brought them to the table, along with several glasses of water. One for each of them: Crescenta, Star, Marco, and Glossaryck. Glossaryck just sipped from the glass, quietly on the table watching the exchanges between the royalties.

     "OH! Triangle food!" Star picked up a nacho and held it towards the ceiling, examining it.

     "The food of this world surprises me." Crescenta too picked up a nacho, before taking a bite into it. "What do you call this appetizer, squire?"

     "They're called: na-chos," Marco proudly exclaimed.

     Crescenta again turned her attention to Star, "Star, could you tell me the history of our kingdom? I have been away for almost ten thousand years."

     "Wa-wait… ten thousand years? How is that possible? Unless, you're an… Undead?" Star dropped her nacho onto the floor.

     "How un-princess like," the tall woman frowned at the befuddled girl. "Yes, I am. Did you not notice? Do you not also have one?" She pointed at the heart shaped buckle on her waist that magically appeared.

     "No. I was given the Chalice Rouser. See?" Star manifested the said buckle around her waist.

     "Hm… How interesting…" Crescenta eyed Star, "Now I asked, could you please tell me the history of our kingdom. I have been gone for so long."

     "Wait… aren't you here to fight us?" Marco interjected.

     "Squires are only to speak when spoken to. I believe my question was directed at Star." Crescenta's eyes flared a deep emerald.

     "Uh-"

     "Excuse him Queen Crescenta! He isn't mewman and doesn't know of how to properly address royalty yet." Star tried to assuage the queen.

     "The actions of one's squire reflects upon its master."

     Marco felt like he should say something, however, from recent experience and the fact that both he and Star were in front of an Undead, 'I should probably talk to Star about the whole squire thing later. If we survive.'

     "However, I am not here to educate you." The green from hers eyes faded and her smile resurfaced. "I am here to find Eclipsa. And now, to find out about what happened to the kingdom after the last tournament. Since it is my understanding that, all the kingdoms of Mewni were no more."

     Star's eyes opened wide at Crescenta's statement, "Well, from what I was told by my mother, the current queen. Eventually, remnants of our kingdom were able to rebuild and that it was in the past few generations that we had regained a semblance of our former kingdom."

     "Hmm… maybe I was mistaken. Almost ten thousand years have past, it isn't improbable… I don't think you're lying. However, something still feels amiss."

     Glossaryck eyed the conversation and he turned away from it, as if feigning ignorance. This didn't escape Crescenta's attention, but she knew that if the little blue mouthpiece knew anything, he wouldn't give it away unless directed to do so. The tiny man felt the eyes of the queen crawl on his skin as if they were attempting to peer through his skin to discover what secret he knew. He knew that she knew he had a secret, but alas it was not his secret to reveal, at least not at this time.

     Finally, after a long period of silence from Glossaryck, he broke it, "Well, it seems that I'll have to divulge that Eclipsa volunteered to be sealed away."

     He expected some sort of shock from the woman, instead her smile deepened. The look on her face caused a sense of uneasiness in the two youths. They both expected a fight to break out in front of them and had braced themselves.

     "Ah… now it makes sense… My sister always loved games." She pointed a finger at Star, "And that also explains about you and that _thing_ you're wearing." She directed her finger towards the Chalice Rouser.

     "Explains what?" Star just tilted her head.

     "Just a guess, but it seems that my sister is playing another dangerous game."

     Marco just continued to eat his nachos, praying that he wouldn't have to fight again so soon after yesterday. He had so much information to take in today, and after talking to Crescenta, he had more questions.

     Crescenta blinked and then looked at Marco. An idea developed in her head, 'I may not be a gambler like my sister, but…' She smiled devilishly.

     "Squire, you have permission to speak. Tell me, is there a reason why I feel something so similar from you? Something that belonged to my sister? Why do you have the Blay Buckle?"

     Marco's eyes widened, he felt as if the queen pulled something from his depths. Suddenly the Blay Buckle appeared on his waist without him willing it. He winced at the queen, terrified that she had somehow forced the buckle to come forth.

     "Ah, yes-" Crescenta was cut off.

     Star shot up into a defensive position in front of Marco. "I don't know what you're doing, but you're not going to harm my squire."

     "Oh-ho-ho!" the queen could barely contain her laughter. "Do not worry little one. I was just investigating something. You are quite protective of him, I wonder why? Hmm? Oh-ho-ho!"

     Star didn't really know what she was doing. All she knew was she felt a killing intent from the tall queen, and she had to protect Marco. She had claimed him as her squire afterall, he was her responsibility, even if she was beginning to feel slightly envious at him. 'But that isn't his fault, I dragged him into this and Glossaryck is just doing his job.'

     Crescenta's voice reverberated as she gave a command, "Sit. Down. Child. Be. Quiet. Hush."

     Star sat back down, compelled to do so.

     "Good." Crescenta took in a deep breath. "Understand this children, I mean no harm. I came here following my sister's scent. Eclipsa just so happened to be the previous owner of that buckle you're wearing little squire. At first I believed this other child wore it, but as we can see, she wasn't. I could only conclude that you did."

     Both Star and Marco swallowed, they were on the edge of their seats. Glossaryck had a poker face on, and hoped that Crescenta wouldn't dig too deep and begin to unravel everything.

     "Now, I have a good guess as to what is happening here. My sister has done something hasn't she? Glossaryck? No need to answer, I know you wouldn't anyways." She continued to smile as she folded her hands on her lap. Her gaze rested on the children. "Now, I understand why he is your squire. And I now know what you are little one, because what you've told me shouldn't be true. You are… a pawn in my sister's game."

     Star gritted her teeth. She didn't understand what was going on. Both she and Marco faced an Undead last night. How could another feel so different? The pressure from Crescenta was almost overwhelming. Also, on top of what she felt, she was trying to process what the queen had been saying. How was she a pawn?

     Crescenta bent down close to Star's left ear away from Marco and whispered, "Is that boy going to be more than a squire? Will he be your knight?" She licked her lips. "Or will you devour him?"

     Both the teenagers could barely hold on now. Crescenta never gave up on her pressure.

     "If I show you my true form, maybe it will help you understand?" Crescenta's form shimmered. Where the tall woman stood, instead was a tall dark green figure. It looked like a large mantis that had all the natural curves of a woman. On top of her head rested two large insectoid eyes that were hazel in color. On her chest was an outline of a red heart. On each of her arms were long sickle like blades. On her waist was the heart shaped buckle.

     Marco knew he was inside his home, and that he would have a hard time explaining the damages to his parents later. However, protecting Star came first. He stood up from his fear stricken seat and pulled out a card. The Mantis Undead watched in excitement as Marco defied her killing intent. Marco inserted the card and pulled on the lever.

     "Hen-shin." Marco said through gritted teeth as he walked forward through the translucent wall to appear in his Kamen Rider form.

     Star also stood up, her pride wouldn't let Marco be the only one facing the Mantis Undead. And she knew that Marco would need all the help he could get.

     What was once Crescenta Butterfly darted its head back and forth at the two teens, she was actually impressed. 'It seems like my sister made a wonderful bet.'

     Both of the youngsters got into offensive poses ready to strike, but to their surprises Crescenta did something they both didn't expect. She turned back.

     "OH-HO-HO!" Crescenta could barely contain her amusement.

     The overwhelming pressure dissipated. Marco and Star nearly fell over, straining from the difference as Crescenta let go of the atmosphere. She had shifted and returned to her tall woman form.

     Crescenta smiled again, "You two are wonderful! My sister is never wrong in her bets. I'll bet on you two also."

     "WHAT?!" both teenagers belted.

     "I mean, you may seal me away also."

     Marco and Star stared at each other.

     "Oh-ho-ho! I already told you two, I am not here to fight. I came to find my sister, and found her I have." Crescenta sat back down and licked her lips as she smiled. "I have no reason to continue the Battle Royal. I once did, but ten thousand years have come to past. That reason no longer exists. But you," she pointed at Star, "I wonder if in order to win, will you devour your mate like I did?"

     Both teens shook their heads at each other and simultaneously spoke, "What?! NO! We're not like that!"

     "Oh-ho-ho! To be young again. Now, I hate to interrupt you two, but as queen I order you to seal me away."

     Marco spoke through his helmet, "Are you sure? I mean-"

     "SQUIRE! I am a queen, are you going to question my orders?"

     Star elbowed Marco in the ribs, "Marco just shut up and do as she says."

     Marco was glad that neither of the women could see him roll his eyes. He had plucked one of his blank cards.

     Star bowed in respect towards the Crescenta. "Thank you for making this easy I guess? I don't know what your test was entirely about. But I do know that we both have to train hard after our encounter. We are both weak, and we humbly accept your guidance."

     "Guidance? This is not guidance. I shall continue to watch, I just want to know if you'll fall prey to your desires or not. I am the Mantis Undead, and I find that devouring one's desires to be most satisfying." She bit her lower lip.

     Marco cringed, he wasn't sure how to handle the current situation.

     "As Princess of the Mewni Kingdom, I declare that Queen Crescenta Butterfly, The Eager, Twenty-First Queen of Mewni to be sealed away."

     Marco threw the blank card at Crescenta, she changed her smile into a smirk, 'You are no princess.'

     The grotesque green light from the card consumed Crescenta. Soon after, on the floor was a card, on it was a pink heart crystal with a mantis on the inside of it; in two opposite corners were an A with a small heart; and in the middle of the card was the words CHANGE MANTIS on it.

000

     It was finally night time. For Marco, this was the longest weekend he'd ever had. However he had forgotten something important in the midst of everything that happened. He looked over at Star who had been jumping up and down after being told that she could keep the recently sealed card by Glossaryck.

     It was now that the doorbell rang again.

     "What? Again?" exasperated Marco.

     He walked over and opened the door to see his parents. They were holding each other's hand, and waved to their son.

     His eyes widened as it dawned on him, 'How am I going to explain about Star?'


	11. Episode 04 - Chapter 01

Hoshi no Kirifuda  
Episode 04 - Chapter 01

Disclaimer:  
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred. These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes.

Author's Notes:

Starting Episode 4.

I'll probably keep up the pattern where every episode is 3 different chapters long. My guess so far is on average each episode is at least six thousand words, give or take. I'll try to keep the updates coming as fast as possible, but I do have real life also. Honestly, I sneak in writing at work if there is little to nothing to be done. Also, I will try to adhere to a schedule of at most a week for updates.

Reviewer's Responses:

Please keep the reviews coming, especially if it is constructive.

000000

     It was the start of a new week, and it was the day that everybody dreaded the most: Monday. Normally anyways, as for Star Butterfly, she was filled with what Marco considered as concentrated sunshine. She had a smile that stretched from ear to ear and her eyes were bright with anticipation to join Marco at "peasant" school. They had just both finished speaking to a short portly man who according to Marco was the manager of this school, a Principal Skeeves. This Principal was bald with just a short count of light brown hair, who wore square glasses, and had on a dark gray suit with a purple bowtie.

     Marco was leading Star through the school as he explained where everything was. From the cafeteria to the library, and where their class would be. He was glad that Star would be joining him in school, but he was amazed at how easy it was for him to convince his parents and the Principal that Star had been a new exchange student.

     It was the night before that Marco had realized that he hadn't actually asked his parents for permission about Star staying with them. He honestly didn't know where to start with the explanation. Luckily, Glossaryck was ahead of him and had produced all the formal papers that an exchange student would need. Glossaryck just pointed at the golden book of his and said that the papers were what he called: psychic paper, blank pieces of paper that magically had print on them when needed. Marco wanted to ask how it worked, but was just glad that he had an explanation for his parents. He wasn't a fan of lying to his parents, but he guessed that as long as Star became an actual exchange student, the lie was a moot point. The same pieces of psychic paper also worked on Principal Skeeves. It was as if Star was always meant to be here all along and he had been expecting her arrival.

     Marco giggled at Star's amazement of the few technological wonderments that she didn't have at her home world. Star had been pressing the button on the water fountain on and off for a while now, and she had considered just ripping into its insides just to find the magical stone that produced the water, but reconsidered since this wasn't her home world. It was her first day of school and she didn't want to be a complete nuisance for Marco.

     Marco grinned and mused to himself as he looked at Star's outfit, 'Mom was always great with her clothing choices.' After convincing his parents that Star was the new exchange student, he had explained to his mother that Star had lost her luggage at the airport and didn't have anything to wear. Immediately, the Diaz matriarch grabbed the girl and took her out to the closest open clothing stores, Walmart and Target. They had bought several outfits and other necessary items; Marco had a hard time carrying all the bags out of the car after their trip. Star still hadn't given back the clothes she had borrowed from him, but today she was wearing a sea green dress with a pink octopus on the front. It was short sleeved, and the dress flared slightly below her knees. Star had on magenta and orange striped leggings that she wore with a pair of purple boots. Mrs. Diaz had given Star a small yellow star shaped purse to go along with the outfit. Overall, the stockings hugged to Star's lithe legs and the dress brought out the blue in her eyes. Marco slightly shook his head at the thought as both teens had made a full tour of the school and were in front of Miss Skullnick's class.

     "Well that concludes the tour Star. And we finished before homeroom did. Let's check in with Miss Skullnick." Marco turned the doorknob and entered the classroom with Star.

000

     "How do you do this almost everyday Marco?!" Star looked like she was ready to pull her hair out. "How is peasant schooling so boring?"

     Marco shrugged at Star, "It is just how school is here. I don't know how it is at Mewni, but-" Marco looked at his phone. "Hold that thought Star, I got somewhere I have to be quick."

     Star was left there alone as what almost looked like an after image of Marco was left behind. "Wha-?"

000

     It was the end of the school day, and as boring as school was, there was always one thing Marco looked forward to at school. He felt kind of sorry that he had left Star behind, but he'd make it up to her after an explanation. 'She'd understand. I think.'

     He looked at his phone, '3:14 p.m. I made it with a minute to spare.' He leaned against his locker, waiting for the highlight of his day. Down the hallway was Jackie with her platinum blonde hair. She again wore shorts that just seemed to curve in all the right places.

     "Hey Jackie," Marco was glad that he didn't crack like last time.

     "Sup Diaz?" Jackie asked with her usual bravado. "Looks like we both made it alive through the weekend."

     Marco rubbed the back of his head with his right hand, "Yeah, it was pretty hectic for me."

     "Cool Diaz, well you've got to fill me in another time. Work is a bummer sometimes, my boss is a real pain if I'm late. He said something about testing some new equipment or something. Gotta make sure I'm on time." She got on her skateboard and hurried away.

     "OH! Yeah, see you later Jackie!"

     Jackie just waved at Marco from behind as she quickly left for the horizon.

     Star finally caught up to Marco, looking at him and the fleeting blonde haired girl. "So… this is where you scurried off to?" Star sinisterly smiled at Marco.

     Startled, Marco threw his arms up into the air and fell face first into his locker. With an audible slam, one didn't need to see the pain on Marco's face, they could hear it on the other side of the building.

     Then a third person joined Star and Marco, "Ha Ha! Good one Diaz!"

     Star noticed that a light mocha skinned girl with black hair wearing an olive green beanie joined them.

     "Hi! I'm Star Butterfly," she enthusiastically waved.

     "Yeah, you're the new girl? The exchange student." Janna stuck her right hand out, expecting a handshake. "I'm Janna Ordonia."

     Star looked at Janna's hand and didn't know what to do with it, so she stuck out her left hand.

     Janna just laughed at Star's cultural ignorance, "-Pfft- That's not how you do it. Here, give me your other hand." Star continued grinning and reached out with her right hand. Janna slapped their palms together, then the back of their hands, and then made a fist. Star just followed Janna's actions and also made a fist, where Janna pounded them together. "That's how we say hi here!"

     Star looked at her hand, amazed at this new way of greeting she had just learned.

     "-Ugh- Janna, what are you doing here?" Marco dusted himself off as he got up from the floor.

     "Ey! Diaz! You know my game, I'm here to fuck with ya." Janna just smirked towards Marco. "And I figured I would say hi to the fresh meat."

     Marco rolled his eyes. It was in that moment that Janna pushed herself and Marco up against the lockers.

     Janna whispered into Marco's ear, "I gotta get you back for last Friday, Diaz." She then looked at Star and exclaimed, "And I gotta mark my territory. Let the new kid know that I own you."

     Marco pushed Janna off of himself, only to realize where his hands where. They rested on Janna's chest, each hand cupping one of her breasts.

     "Oh! MARCO! When did you get so bold?!" Janna laughed as Marco blushed tomato red. "Teach me how to safely do… it..."

     "Hey, he's my squire!" Star fumed at Janna, "Get off him this instant!"

     Marco let go of the mounds, and Janna just stared at Star, then she burst out into a laughter. Star tilted her head in confusion.

     "Oh man, this is rich. I'm just fucking around Star. Diaz here knows I'm just messing with him. Gotta press those buttons and see what boils his blood." Janna continued to laugh.

     Star didn't quite understand what was so funny, but couldn't help herself as she was swept up by Janna's laughter. Both girls were now uproariously laughing. Marco just pulled his red hoodie up and over his face to hide his embarrassment.

     "You're alright Star. I like ya." Janna was catching her breath as her laughter died down. "I'll see you two tomorrow. Catch ya later." Janna headed towards the exit of the school.

     "Bye Janna! See you tomorrow!" Star waved off the other girl.

     Marco sighed heavily, "-SIGH- Let's get home, we got homework to do Star."


	12. Episode 04 - Chapter 02

Hoshi no Kirifuda  
Episode 04 - Chapter 02

Disclaimer:  
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred. These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes.

Author's Notes:

Nothing new, keep going.

Please keep the reviews coming, especially if it is constructive.

000000

     Star had been laying down on her bed. Marco's parents had given her access to their spare guest room. It wasn't much, nothing compared to her grandeur home, but it was her privacy and space. The walls were pastel green, and there weren't of anything notable in the room; except for a bed, a nightstand, and a desk. There was a door connecting her bedroom to the bathroom. She also had a closet to store away all the clothes Mrs. Diaz had been kind enough to buy for her. 'I'll have to find a way to thank her later. Marco's lucky to have a mom like her.'

     She had been thinking about how things were back at home; and she'd been considering what Crescenta had said. For as long as she remembered, Mewni had been rebuilt after the last Battle Royal. But that was where the problem came from, it was what she _remembered,_ like as if it was just an unquestioned fact. Star never paid attention to all of her lessons growing up and unless it somehow involved combat, she conveniently ignored it. She wished she had been paying more attention now, because she felt like she was missing crucial pieces of information.

     "Oh well… I didn't pay attention then, why rack my head over it now? What I should be focused on is-" Star pulled out a card out from a carrier case that Marco had given her. He said something about "the gathering of magics" or something like that, and he had given her the case to hold her cards in. It was a white faux leather bound case that had a magnetic clasp to keep it shut, and had a clip on one side to attach itself to a belt or a loop of some sort.

     Star examined the card in her hand. It was a white bordered card, in the top left and bottom corners was a yellow heart wrapped in a red border, and below the heart was a red "A." At the center of the card was a pink heart shaped crystal with a dark green mantis inside of it. Beneath the pink heart was the words "CHANGE MANTIS" on it also in red. On the back of the card was an intricate red patterned design, almost like it was a map of a large labyrinth. Star traced the card with her fingers, caressing it like were the jawline of a long time lover.

     She was glad that Glossaryck didn't give much of a fight when Star asked for this card. In fact, he gave an immediate answer without the usual cryptic riddles or long exposition. Which made her wonder why the over-protectiveness with Eclipsa's card.

     "Eclipsa… Butterfly…" Star hummed the name. "I think my mom said something about her once? Or was it… Luna Butterfly? Solara? -UGH!- Too many names. But it sounds so familiar!"

     Star ruffled her linen as she got up from her bed. She had a yellow pillow, and her bed sheets and blankets were different shades of blue. Her feet hit the wooden floorboards with a dull creak.

     "I wonder if Marco's done with the home-work? Cuz it's time to give this baby a test drive."

000

     Marco had been alone in his room, just finishing his homework and putting it away in his backpack. He sat at his desk, slightly rocking his chair backwards; his gaze was at his ceiling. He didn't have difficulty finishing his homework, just like any other night, but tonight he was distracted. It didn't help that Janna was literally grinding against him earlier and in front of Star no less. Marco knew that the Filipino girl did it to just mess with him, and he'd grown accustomed to the girl and her antics. However, he would've appreciated it if she had toned it down for Star's sake. He only just got to know Star, and he didn't want to give the wrong impressions. Especially since, they were gonna live with each other until Star had finished her mission.

     "What have I gotten myself into?" He looked down at the Blay Buckler. "Fighting monsters wasn't on the bucket list. -sigh-"

     Marco corrected his chair and reached towards his desk, there was a similar deck box he had given to Star, except this one was red. 'Good thing I kept these from my old trading card days. Who would've guessed that after I had quit Magic the Gathering that I'd have another set of cards to collect?' He opened the box, there were two cards in it. One was the Two of Spades: SLASH. The other, Marco finally got a good look at it, it too had the intricate red design for the back. On the front of the card was an top-down shot of a Hercules beetle that had a red spade on its back. Beneath the beetle were the words CHANGE BEETLE in red. Also, similar to the other cards, in the respective corners were a spade and an "A."

     Marco examined the card between his right thumb and pointer finger, "The Ace of Spades: Change Beetle. Huh. I wonder if these cards have any sort of connection with Earth playing cards? They've all got suits, and from what I can tell, probably follow the same ranks. Do they they follow the same rules?"

     Glossaryck peeked over Marco's left shoulder, "Whatcha got there kid?"

     "AHH! Don't do that!" Marco shouted at the little floating man.

     "Ha Hah! You crack me up, boy." Glossaryck wiped a tear from his eye. "Still got questions?"

     "Yeah… I have several. And I don't know where to start." Marco got up from his seat, walked over to his bed, and sat down on it. Glossaryck followed the young man, and sat down next to him.

     Glossaryck patiently looked at Marco. Up until giving Marco the Blay Buckler, everything was a part of the plan. He knew what he was supposed to do and how to do it. But then, he had been instructed to ask this boy to help Star. 'Sure the kid could just stop and live a normal life. But, there is no way fate was going to make it easy on him. Especially since this was a part of _HIS_ plan.' He couldn't help but feel sympathetic towards the youngling.

     "I mean… do you want me to ask? Do you even care? I thought you could read my mind?" Marco asked with apprehension.

     "You're right, I could just do that. But unlike before, we have plenty of time to talk. You and Star are not in a life-or-death situation."

     Marco rested his hands on his knees. "I still can't believe what's happened. Well, I know it happened, I just can't wrap my head around it, to accept what happened. I've become this Kamen Rider thing, and I don't know if I even want to keep it." Marco fiddled with his fingers. "This seems like a lot of responsibility and I don't want to get in the way of Star from competing in this fight."

     "Uh-huh. Kid, I don't mind the small talk. I was also asleep for ten thousand years. However, I came here because you had questions. I won't guarantee answers, just like before, but I can't answer if I don't hear a question."

     "Oh, sorry if I was rambling. I just want to ask if I'm doing the right thing? You said I'm an illegal entrant, meaning I'm not even supposed to be a part of this."

     "Correct. You're not a part of this. Which is why I can't tell you if you're doing the right thing or not, that is a question for you to answer. Ask me something about the Undead, the Battle Royal, or anything else. I already told you once, I'm not answering questions involving your free will. You make your own decisions kid."

     "Fine. Just what are the Undead exactly? How come we've only had to fight one, but from what you've told me two of them willingly gave up?"

     "I can't go into details as to what the Undead are. Just stick to what I've told you once. They're warriors who are also contestants in this tournament. The last one standing gets a wish. And to answer you about both Crescenta and Eclipsa, again, I don't know. I already said-"

     "That you can't answer questions about free will. If they gave up on their own, you have no idea why."

     "A bit rude cutting me off there. So, do it again and I won't answer anymore questions."

     Marco sighed and apologized, "I'm sorry. It is just a lot to take in. No matter how many times I hear an explanation, I feel like I'm only being told part of the story."

     "And you are."

     "Wait, what?"

     "I said you are. Marco, I'm only a mouth piece. My boss is the one who dictates what I can and cannot say."

     "And who is your boss?"

     Glossaryck smiled at Marco, "Oh, you know the answer to that already."

     "You can't tell me, right?"

     "Right."

     "Will I get to know everything eventually?"

     "Eh… I honestly don't know. If you had asked me before meeting _you_ , I'd had known everything that was needed to know. Everything unfolded to me clearly and neatly. But _you_ are a wild card."

     "I'm sorry if I did any-"

     "My turn to interrupt you. Ha hah. Do not be sorry child. I may have been reading one set of cards, but that doesn't mean you're to blame for joining us at the table. Fate has dealt you a set of cards. How you play with them is up to you. Never be sorry for doing what you wanted to do. You wanted to help Star, and you did. Take the cards you've been given and win the pot."

     Marco scratched his head, "Huh? Didn't you say that I couldn't win anything because I was an outsider?"

     "No, I said you could not win the tournament prize. I never said there were no rewards period."

     Marco just stared at the tiny man. 'What is he trying to get at? I'm just now more confused.'

     "Good, that mean I'm doing my job. Ha hah!"

     "-Ugh- Mind reading is a pain in the neck."

     Suddenly, Marco's bedroom door swung open. "COME ON MARCO! TIME TO PRACTICE!" Star grabbed Marco and hauled him downstairs to the backyard.

000

     Dusk was just beginning to set. The sun was ebbing slowly over the horizon. A myriad of oranges and reds clashed against the edging night sky. It may had been difficult to see any trace of stars, but the quarter moon was doing its best in the lonely sky.

     "Come on Marco!" Star pulled on Marco's arm, nearly dragging the boy as she ran out the back door of the residence.

     If Marco hadn't at least been reluctantly running along with Star, he was positive he'd been eating dirt right now and probably missing a few teeth. 'I wish this girl applied just a minute amount of enthusiasm towards her homework too.' He remembered how difficult it was to get her to pay attention in class today and how much it was a struggle to get the girl to even look at the assigned work. Marco was glad that they had both been able to get the majority of it done before dinner.

     "Star, you don't have to be-"

     Star cut Marco off with a roundhouse kick. "Less talking squire, more training."

     Marco defended himself and parried the kick. He brushed it aside as he took a defensive stance. Star didn't give him much time to recover as she jumped into the air towards him. Marco easily sidestepped, but he met with a backhand to his chest as Star came down and spun her weight at the boy. Marco held his ground against Star's constant barrages, but it was time for him to take the offensive. He reached out with his left hand towards Star's face, which was just enough of a distraction as Star blocked out of instinct, protecting her eyes from his fingers. He took the opportunity to grab Star's left arm, turn around, and flip her over his shoulder.

     Star opened her eyes, she stared at the lonesome moon. 'He's a lot better than I thought.' Marco had an outreached arm towards Star as she laid on the cold dirt. Star batted it away and rolled on her side away from Marco to gain momentum to get back on her feet.

     "Nuh-uh Marco, we're not done yet. Enough warming up." Star pulled out her deck box and pulled out her only card.

     "Seriously?" Marco wheezed a bit. He wasn't exhausted, but the chill autumn air plus the extra physical activities from last weekend were chipping away at him.

     The Chalice Rouser appeared around Star's waist and Star swiped her card through the middle of the heart design on the buckle.

     Star yelled out, "HENSHIN!"

     In a deep voice the buckle announced, "CHANGE."

     At first Star took on a familiar form, she looked similar to how Crescenta was in her Mantis Undead form. But then, it shifted, Star changed into a black and silver armored suit. She had on silver boots and gauntlets. Her chest piece was also silver, but it had four red arch designs that highlighted Star's budding curves. Beneath the armored pieces, she had on a tight black leather-like suit. On her waist was the Chalice Rouser that strung around her with a silver belt. From behind the center of the buckle was a golden design that branched outwards and covered the black suit, as if trying to restrain Star. To the right of her buckle was a silver attachment that held several red cards. Star's helmet was also black with a silver mouthpiece, it had a large red visor that seemed to mimic large insectoid eyes, and on top of her head were a pair of long silver antennas.

     'Do I look that cool when I transform?' Marco thought with his mouth slightly ajar in amazement.

     "Don't just stand there. Do something!" Star demanded of the stupefied boy.

     "Oh, right." Marco's own buckle appeared, he inserted the Ace of Spades, and pulled on the lever. "HENSHIN!"

     "TURN UP!" announced the Blay Buckler.

     Marco leapt through the usual projected translucent wall to appear on the other side, fully armored.

     "Oh yeah, time for the good stuff." Star dashed at Marco, disappearing from his line of view.

     Marco took on another defensive stance. However, Star had reappeared from below Marco's view. She instantly threw an uppercut at him, tossing the unsuspecting Marco up into the air. She leapt up after his projected body. The strength in her transformed enhanced legs forced her to catch up to Marco's mid-air body. Again, Star attacked, this time with a scissor kick downwards, hurling Marco to the ground. His body bounced against the lawn.

     "-Ugh…- What the hell Star?" Marco laid in the slight indent his form had made when he impacted against the earth. "Take it easy. If I hadn't transformed too, I'd be heading towards the hospital right now. -Ouch-"

     Star was breathing hard from the new found strength she had. The exhilaration pumped through her body, she started to shake in excitement. Never had anything felt so natural to her. But then Star clutched at her chest and the shaking didn't stop; instead she felt desperate and her instincts told her to finish off Marco. She fought against the intruding instructions and fell to her knees. It was apparent that she was having a hard time controlling herself. Her breathing started to become ragged and she choked, Star was hyperventilating.

     "Star? STAR!" Marco got up from the ground as soon as Star keeled over. "STAR?! What happened? Did I do something? Was it the shoulder toss? Star? Answer me." Marco stared at Star's limp body, and he didn't know what to do. 'Calm down, I can't help Star if I'm freaking out.' He took in a deep breath.

     He slowly flipped Star onto her back. "Star, if you can hear me, I need you to let go of your transformation. I can't help you if you're wearing your armor. Please, Star." He had let go of his own transformation, hoping that a familiar face would help Star. She stayed trapped in her transformation and Marco's vision started to become blurry with tears. He considered running inside to get help from his parents, but chances were they would be as little help as he was.

     Then he remembered and he frantically plead, "GLOSSARYCK! I NEED HELP! STAR NEEDS HELP!" He looked around, but the little blue man hadn't shown himself. Marco was running out of options as he could tell that Star's chest had stop rising from breathing. He was crying at his helplessness.

     Suddenly, Star's body jolted, and her armored self shimmered away, leaving Star laying in the dirt next to Marco. He sighed in relief, but it didn't last long, because he noticed that Star still wasn't breathing. Without a second thought, he made lip to lip contact with Star, he blew air into her chest. Marco was performing CPR on the unconcious girl. He was appreciative that after years of being called the Safe Kid, today he had a reason to use what he had learned to good use. Marco pushed against Star's chest in the proper manner and repeatedly blew air into Star. Finally, Star began to hack up and took in a large breath as her body shot up into a sittin position.

     Marco wrapped his arms around Star, and rasped, "Oh my god Star. What happened? I thought I lost you. I didn't know…" Marco sniffed and wiped his tears.

     Star was slowly processing what had happened. 'What _had_ happened? I almost... killed Marco. No, I _wanted_ to kill Marco.' She replied to Marco's embrace by squeezing him back, she tried to calm him by patting him on the back to reassure him that she was at least alive. 'Alive doesn't mean I'm fine though. What was that?'

000

     Two teenagers were wrapped up in each others arms. The male was silently weeping, while the female was trying to console him. However, unbeknownst to either of them, a pair of eyes watched them from afar in a tree. They had witnessed the fight from beginning to end and were ready to make a report to their master. The pair of eyes leapt off the branch and into the shadows. A silhouette of a frog man retreated under the moonlight.

000

     "And that is how you wanted it to unfold?" Glossaryck had been peering out the window, looking at the two children. "I honestly don't know what your plan is. If you even have one."

     The golden book just opened itself as if it were shrugging at the miniature blue man.

     "I don't think it is very wise to play with their feelings. Especially since no real harm was going to come to Star." Glossaryck sighed, "She. Can't. Die."

     Glossaryck gave the book a stink eye and the book closed itself in response. It had been very pushy lately, and Glossaryck considered everything. He had been instructed to give the Blay Buckler to Marco, a human. Which Glossaryck was actually surprised that it had worked for the boy; it had been originally intended for only Mewman use. How Marco was able to was beyond Glossaryck.

     Then there was Star. 'Hmm… She's certainly... different.' It was strange, for Star's case, he was surprised when he recently saw her blood. It was not what he had expected. Nor had her actions tonight. He honestly thought Star was going to kill Marco. 'It is in her nature.'

     The book slammed its spine against Glossaryck's head.

     "Dang it! What? It is in her nature! Am I wrong?" Glossaryck winced in pain, nursing the back of his head. "Yes, yes. I'll do what I do best. Watch. But you do know, we weren't the only ones observing tonight?"

     The book floated itself back onto the desk that was in Star's room.

     "Oh, ignoring me now? I see how it is."


	13. Episode 04 - Chapter 03

Hoshi no Kirifuda  
Episode 04 - Chapter 03

Disclaimer:  
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred. These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes.

Author's Notes:

I do hope you all enjoyed that last chapter. Also, that I had done something well with your expectations.

Please keep the reviews coming, especially if it is constructive.

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     A comforting hand rested on Star's forehead. "A hundred degrees." Mrs. Diaz had put away the thermometer she had been using to check Star's health. "I don't know what you two were doing last night, but it must've been too much fun," she said with a light smile. "It's only your second day at school and you're already calling in sick. Next time, let's try to avoid over exhausting yourself on a school night."

     "Yes, Mrs. Diaz." Star tried to get up from her bed, but the Diaz matriarch pushed her back onto the bed.

     "Lay down and rest. Just because I'm disappointed in both you and Mijo, it doesn't mean that I'm not concerned with your well being first. Take the day off and recover. Both you and Marco."

     Star wrapped her blanket around herself and laid back per Marco's mother's order.

     "Good. Now don't worry I'll inform the school that you two will be home today. I'll also bring up something that will do you both good. Rafael is currently making his nana's secret chicken noodle soup. It works like magic, and you two will be back to health in no time."

     "Thank you Mrs. Diaz."

     "Oh, don't worry so much about it. You're under the care of our house. How would I be able to explain to your mother if you weren't treated like my own daughter?"

     "Huh?"

     "I'm assuming that Mijo never told you how big our family is?"

     "We haven't gotten the time for any of that yet? Does Marco have brothers and sisters? I apologize if I missed another son or daughter of yours."

     Mrs. Diaz giggled, "No Star, Marco is an only child. He is my only son. However, he did not grow up alone. You are not the first child we've had as an exchange student."

     Star peered through the only gap between her blanket, "I'm not?"

     "No, you would be our seventh exchange student. Though each of the children before you have left and gone, I treat each as if they were my child. And I do hope that you and Marco will grow closer to each other. He's a bit of a lonely child with a very small circle of friends. I can count them on one hand."

     "I've met Janna."

     "Ah… well from what I can tell that girl hopes to be more than just friends one day. But let's keep that to ourselves shall we?" Mrs. Diaz gave Star a wink.

     "Yes, Mrs. Diaz."

     "And you can stop with that. You are family now. My name is Angela, but you may call me Angie."

     Star just nodded.

     "Good, now I have to take care of a few things. Just continue to rest." Mrs. Diaz straightened out her orange shirt and olive skirt, before leaving the blonde girl alone.

000

     Marco sat up on his bed, his feet dangling off to the side. He had his blanket around his shoulders. He was mentally and physically exhausted. The past weekend along with the incident from the night before just tore his body down. However, as much as it ate at his body, he had too much running in his head to actually allow sleep to take over again. Both he and Star had woken up with fevers, Star was a little bit worse, and he couldn't imagine why not. 'She had almost not made it last night.' His body shook, remembering the events from the night before. 'How had we both been so careless. The transformations and all of these new powers… They're meant to fight monsters; of course they would be deadly.'

     A knock came from his bedroom door. "Marco? Mijo?" It was Marco's father. "May I come in?"

     "Yeah, sure dad."

     Marco's father walked into the room, carrying a tray with two different bowls. Mr. Diaz had on his signature goldenrod polo shirt with dark gray slacks, and in addition he had on a pink apron with frills.

     "How are you feeling Mijo?" Mr. Diaz voiced his concern.

     "I'm alright dad, just exhausted."

     Mr. Diaz set one of the bowls of the chicken noodle soup onto Marco's desk. "You have me worried Marco. What happened between you and Star last night?"

     Marco recalled the night from before. Both he and Star were supposedly training, but it was just an excuse for Star to finally use her her Chalice Rouser. However, things didn't go as planned, and it quickly got out of hand. He didn't know what had happened. They had both been sparring and Marco recalled throwing Star. Shortly after, they both had transformed into their battle suits. 'Star definitely tossed me around like a ragdoll, and then… she gave me the largest scare of my life.'

     Marco just shrugged at his father's question, "We were sparring and just over did it." He recalled Star's limp body laying in the grass. "Yeah, I'm sorry dad. Star wanted to see how well I fought. Too much rough housing." He recalled how he had to give the girl CPR and the amount of relief he had when life came back to her body. "We'll try to avoid doing that again."

     "Hmm… Avoid? Son, we've had this talk once. The exchange children we host to are like family. I'm surprised this ever happened, you're usually so responsible." Mr. Diaz frowned at Marco who shied in shame. "However, I can see that you've at least understood the consequences of your actions. So, promise me this, that you will not _try_ to avoid this, but you must do."

     "Yes, father." Marco hung his head in shame, afraid to look his father in the eyes, knowing full well that with Star's place in the Battle Royal, it would be a difficult promise to keep.

     "OH! I better get this other bowl of soup to Star before it gets cold." Mr. Diaz started to rush out of the room, before stopping momentarily. "Marco Ubaldo Diaz, I expect to not have this discussion again." He closed the door on his way out, leaving a dejected Marco to stare at his bowl of soup.

000

     Marco finished his bowl of soup. It had gotten cold before he got to it. He was too deep in his guilt and only ate the soup because he knew he had to. 'I already have a lot on my mind, I don't need an additional lecture from my parents.'

     His light blue pajamas clung to him, his night sweat had gotten him all sticky. "I guess a shower sounds like a good idea." Marco grabbed two towels and walked towards the bathroom. He knocked on it, out of courtesy, and no one responded. Marco opened the door to see that Star had simultaneously opened the bathroom from her bedroom.

     Both teens turned away from the other and simultaneously spoke, "I'm sorry, you can go ahead. No- Seriously? You go first!" Both of them turned to stare at each other before going into a giggling fit. After last night, they were both glad that the other was doing better.

     Marco wiped away a tear that was forming, "Star, if you don't mind, could I get a quick shower first? I just need a quick wash. It won't take long."

     Normally Star wouldn't have to share anything with anyone at home, but she took time to reconsider since the Diaz family had been awfully kind to her. "It's okay Marco, you can go first. I'll probably need more time than you anyways." She offered him a small smile, before walking back into her room and shutting the door behind her.

000

     Star laid on her bed as she listened to the sound of the shower being turned on. She was glad that Marco had looked like he was doing better, but she felt awful about what had happened last night. She didn't know if she should tell Marco the truth. 'I tried to kill him last night. And… somewhere inside it felt satisfying.'

     She reached over to the night stand that was next to her bed. He left hand clasped onto her deck box. Reaching inside, Star pulled out the Ace of Hearts card. She scrutinized over the card. Her brow furrowed and she gritted her teeth. 'Was this the reason why I tried to kill him? Was Glossaryck right all along? That I don't deserve this power?' Her head buried itself beneath her pillow. She had so many questions, but she didn't want to hear the little blue man give her an "I told you so."

     Her blond hair gathered static and frizzled as Star rustled back and forth in her bed. Finally she stopped, and looked over to where the golden book laid and spoke, "I should just get it over with."

     However, a gentle knock came from her bathroom door and Marco's voice came from the other side, "Star? I'm done. The bathroom is all yours."

     She had been so engrossed with her thoughts that she hadn't heard the shower turn off. "I guess it can wait until later." He gaze met with the golden book before she left her bedroom to get a shower.

000

     It had been midday before either Star and Marco had met up again. Marco was laying down on the couch wrapped in a blanket, watching a rerun of 'Soy tu dueña', also known as 'A Woman of Steel.' Star had just walked into the living room, her mouth agape, amazed at the moving pictures that came out of the box.

     "You know, if Valentina would just be truthful with José, they could avoid all of these troubles. But I guess I understand-" Marco was cut off as Star pressed her face against the television.

     "MARCO! What is this?! More magic?!"

     Marco found amusement in Star's wonderment. "No Star, it isn't magic. It's a bit hard to explain. For now, let's just stick to it not being magic. Could you also get out of the way? I want to finish this episode."

     Star realised that she was in the way of Marco's viewing and apologised, "I'm sorry Marco. Actually can we talk?"

     "Yeah. Can it wait ten minutes though? Like I said, I want to finish this," he pointed at the television.

     "Sure, may I watch with you?"

     Marco shrugged, "I see why not."

     Star walked over and sat on the other end of the couch, watching the Mexican telenovela. Marco's feet grazed against Star's thigh, neither of them said anything about it. Both of them remembering that they had both shared a night together on the same couch not so long ago.

     "Hey, Star?" Marco sat up on the couch and unfurled his blanket around himself and Star. "Do you mind sharing? Get to stay warm and all that?"

     The blonde girl took Marco's offer, edging herself closer to the boy and wrapping herself in the other half of the blanket. They both just sat there quietly watching the rest of the episode, which became another episode and another before they both realised they had been leaning against each other, reaching out to each other's warmth. A little over two hours had past before Marco realised what time it was and their stomachs growled.

     "Heh, hungry Star?" Marco looked over to the blonde, noticing that the lavender blue pajamas she had on had slipped off of her right shoulder, revealing the lack of a bra strap. "Uhm… I'm going to reheat some more soup… D-do-do you want some?" Marco tactically got out from under the blanket and headed towards the kitchen.

     Star smiled at Marco, "Yes, please." She noticed that he had changed into a different pair of plaid pajamas.

     Marco cleared his throat, "-Ahem- You said something about wanting to talk to me? Before we got caught up watching television."

     "Mm-hmm," Star nodded. "I… wanted to talk about last night…"

     "I did too." Marco apprehensively replied as he reheated the soup on the stove. "Just give me a minute and we can talk over food. This time we'll actually talk."

     "Heh, yeah, sure." Star wrapped herself in Marco's blanket and took in a deep breath, Marco's scent lingered. She shook her head and was glad that Marco hadn't seen that.

     It took a few minutes but Marco finished reheating the soup and setted the dining table. He called out, "Star? Soup's ready."

     Star walked into the dining room and took a seat; she had left the blanket behind as the television continued playing in the background. Star tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear as she waited for the soup to cool down slightly. Her eyes darted nervously at Marco.

     "Uh… do I have something on my face?" he asked inquisitively.

     She looked at the small beauty mark that was under his right eye, "No, not-nothing. I just didn't know where to start."

     "Then I'll start." He sighed, "Star, I'm sorry about last night."

     "Wait? You're sorry? What for?" Star cocked her head in confusion.

     Marco sat down across from Star and averting his gaze from Star, "Because, if I hadn't thrown you over my shoulder like that, you wouldn't have been so hurt." He held back a choke and a cry, "It was my fault that you almost died."

     "No, no, no, no, no! Marco, it was my fault! I-" she hesitated, before committing herself to telling Marco the truth, "I… -sigh- I was going to kill you."

     Marco just blinked at Star's admission. It was now his turn to cock his head. "Wait, what?"

     "I don't know! Something happened, and I felt like… something inside me instructed me to end you there." Now tears formed in Star's eyes. "B-bu-but… I stopped myself, fought against it. That's why I collapsed. If I didn't shut myself down like that, I… I didn't want to hurt you Marco. I'm so sorry!"

     Star drooped her head forward and her hair fell around her, hiding her tears. A silence burgeoned between the two sullen teens. Neither of them knew what to say next as both wallowed in the tension. Their soup was getting colder as the seconds ticked by.

     Marco had looked up to see the blonde haired girl quietly sobbing, failing to hold back the dampness on her face. He didn't know the reason as to why Star had almost killed him last night, but he knew what was important. Marco got up from the table and slowly walked up the stairs towards his bedroom.

     Star's eyes peered through her hair as she viewed Marco leave the dining area. 'Of course he would leave. I don't blame him. He has every right to be disappointed in hearing what I just said.' She heard Marco enter his room, and she let go of her sobs. Her knees pulled up to herself, and she cradled herself. Star had her head between her knees, the tears from her eyes staining her sleeping wear.

     "Star?"

     She hadn't noticed that Marco had come back. He had a hand on her shoulder as he tried to get her attention.

     "Star. Look at me."

     "I d-don't wa-wanna," she cried between sobs.

     "Star…" Marco put his arms around the girl, attempting to comfort her. "Hey… can you please look up at me?"

     Star let go of her resistance and slowly tilted her head towards the boy. He reached out to tuck her hair behind her ears and put it firmly in place with a red headband with devil horns.

     "That's better. I like it better when I can see your face."

     Star just stared into his brown eyes. She expected disgust or pity, instead she saw the warmth she was so attracted to. He held no negative emotions towards her, and she couldn't comprehend why. From their first meeting she had treated him terribly and she had dragged the young man around for her own selfishness. 'And then I tried to kill him… How could he… just…'

     "Star… I forgive you."

     He gave her the words she had been unbearably waiting to hear. She didn't think she deserved them, but she was desperate to hear it.

     "I don't know what happened. But I don't blame you. I know that you would never ever want to hurt me in that way. I'm glad that you told me the truth. However, it worries me as to why it happened." He gave her a slight frown in concern.

     "I don't deser-"

     "Star, it isn't about what you deserve or not. Because I forgive you. I would rather see that smile of yours anyways. So, drop the sobs over some spilt milk."

     She gave him a wry smile.

     "It's a start." He smiled back, reinforcing her.

     Star put her hand against the headband, and her finger pricked against the small horns. "Where did you get this?"

     "Oh, the headband? Don't worry, it was a part of an old costume. It looks cuter on you anyways."

     They both flushed red, and Marco instantly let go of the girl. They frantically looked in the opposite direction, avoiding each other's eyesight.

     Star skimmed her spoon through the soup. "It looks like the soup got cold, huh?" she giggled.

     "Yeah… here let me reheat it, again." he gave her a slight grin.

     Both teens stayed quiet as Marco popped the soup back into the microwave. They were both glad that Marco's parents had been out taking care of their business. It had been a long day of recovery, and they didn't need the additional stress of a parental figure. They both kept mostly to themselves for the rest of the day, neither wanted to ruin the fragile atmosphere between them. However, they both knew that they would have to eventually talk to Glossaryck about the incident; better sooner than later.


	14. Episode 05 - Chapter 01

Hoshi no Kirifuda  
Episode 05 - Chapter 01

Disclaimer:  
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred. These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes.

Author's Notes:

Sorry I'm a couple days late on this. I had trouble with chapter two of this episode. I'm still working out how I'm doing choreography in action scenes.

Reviewer's Responses:

Please keep the reviews coming, especially if it is constructive.

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     "And to our left, you will see our last stop, Echo Creek Academy," nasally spoke Marco as he pulled up to the bike racks with Star as the rear passenger.

     Star scoffed, "I know where we are Marco. You don't have to give me a tour of everything every time." She climbed off the back end of her squire's magical transportation.

     "What street are we on again?"

     "Uh…" Star dazed at the loss of information.

     "And that's what I thought," Marco smirked at the blonde. He tried not to make it so obvious that he took a glance at Star. She had on a teal sleeveless short dress, with four different colored stripes on the chest, he noted going top down: maroon, orange, peach orange, and violet. At the bottom of the dress were white frills that led one's eyes to her light sea green and pale green striped leggings. Her footwear were pink boots with white rabbit faces that rested on the toes. In her hair, was the red horned headband he had given her.

     It had been the day after they had both recovered from their traumatic night. They had both been able to get some things off their chests and both their fevers had died down. Though neither had been able to get an actual response from Glossaryck, even with Star's suggestion of bribing the small wise man with pudding. 'He must've been told not to tell us anything. Glossaryck didn't even give a riddle, he just refused to cooperate. I really wish there was someone a bit more reliable on information.'

     Star waved her hand in front of Marco. "Marco you okay? You've been staring into your locker for a while now… Did you forget your homework?" She said with a slight grin on her face.

     "No, Star. I was just thinking. About everything."

     "Oh… I'm sorry."

     "Again, you don't have to be. Let's just get the school day done. Maybe Glossaryck will talk this time around?" he tried to reassure Star.

     "Yeah."

     Both of them squeezed through the crowded hallways to get to their class before the bell rang.

000

     The class was rambunctious as usual before homeroom. Each teen student were divided amongst their cliques and friends. At the front of the class, sat Star and Marco, along with Janna who leaned on Marco's desk. The three friends were discussing about the home world of Star. She told stories of her hunting warnicorns, journeying through the Forest of Certain Death, and other miscellaneous stories. Marco found it a bit hard to believe, but gave it a pass with everything that had been happening recently. He knew Star was telling the truth, but it was still hard to believe in the notion of real magic. Janna on the other hand loved hearing the stories, but there was something that was bugging her.

     "Star, sorry to interrupt, I love your made-up stories, but I've got to know, did something happen between you and Marco yesterday? It couldn't have been a coincidence that both of you were out right?" smirked Janna.

     Star threw her arms into the air. "Made-up? Everything I've said is true!"

     "Uh. Huh. Answer my question Star," Janna slightly rolled her eyes, she had noticed Marco feigning ignorance. She probably could've gotten an answer out of the boy instead, but it was so much more fun to ask Star and put him on the spot.

     "Not much. We just got sick. Watched this thing you all call tell-leh-vision."

     "Uh-huh." the inquisitive girl didn't fully believe it. If it were just that, Marco wouldn't have been avoiding her eye contact on the subject.

     The door to the classroom slowly opened. In walked Mr. Skeeves with a tall skinny man. Everyone quickly got to their seats as the Principal coughed to get the student's attention.

     "Quickly now children, I don't have all day." the Principal of the school impatiently waited for everyone to take a seat. "I am here to inform you that Ms. Skullnick is currently out on vacation. Something about winning the lottery and a cruise. Blah, blah, blah. So, I'm here with your substitute for the next month or so."

     The class cheered at the disappearance of their usual teacher, all but Star and Marco. The two teens couldn't put their finger on it, but the substitute teacher looked out of place. The substitute teacher had a peachy tone of skin with auburn hair. His two turquoise eyes seemed to oversee the whole class, but were very much focused on Star.

     Principal Skeeves coughed again, shutting up the class. "Let me introduce the man, Mr. Lucitor."

     Mr. Lucitor gave a beaming grin as he pulled and straightened out his burgundy slim-lapelled four button jacket which had pockets like a safari suit. "Good day children." His voice was smooth and baritone; it gave both Star and Marco shivers down their spines. "I am happy to be your teacher for the next month. I do hope that we can both learn from this experience." He took a step forward, revealing a pair of black slacks and burgundy matching cowboy boots.

     Star almost leapt out of her seat with the step Mr. Lucitor took. Instead, she just looked at the man, knowing full well what he was, another Undead.

000

     Class had gone fairly normal with the presence of the substitute teacher. Mr. Lucitor took time to take his first day of class slow. He wanted to know and understand where each student were in their studies. He especially wanted to know more about Star Butterfly and Marco Diaz. The last bell of the day rang as the students rushed to leave the class, both Star and Marco were stopped by Mr. Lucitor.

     "Excuse me for a moment children. May we discuss something?"

     Both teenagers nodded at each other before nodding at the teacher.

     "Could you two have a seat, this may take a moment."

     "If you would excuse us Mr. Lucitor, but I think we'd rather stand," Marco said with apprehension. "We've been sitting down most of the day, stretching our legs seems like a good idea."

     "I see." Mr. Lucitor walked over to the door in the classroom and shut it with a sharp click.

     Instantly, Star took a defensive stance. Her hands raised in front of her ready to fight. "Undead chol DeSDu' jIH (Come at me Undead.)"

     The teacher in red just laughed as he walked over to his desk and took a seat. "yIjotchoH. wej naDev jIH botlhDaq. 'ej Sung jat chagh, qup 'ang (Calm down. I did not come here to fight. And drop the native tongue, it is less conspicuous.)"

     "Wait. I understood that. Star?" Marco looked over to the blonde, her eyes were sharp and ready to go onto the attack. He put his hand on her shoulder. "Let's calm down, he hasn't done anything… yet."

     It wasn't just the Undead teacher that had Star on edge. She had known what he was all day, and she was worried if they had gotten into a fight would she be able to control herself. However, Marco's comforting hand managed to calm the princess down.

     "Sorry Marco." She took in a deep breath and dropped her stance, but she kept a watchful eye on the teacher who was enjoying her outburst.

     "Please you two, I understand the hostility. I am indeed what you suspect me to be." He just grinned at the two. "But, like I said, I am not here to fight you. Honestly, I would like to believe that it was coincidence that I would be assigned as your substitute teacher. My meeting with you two was supposed to wait until later."

     Marco, took in a deep sigh. 'Was this going to be a common occurrence? Meeting random Undead?' He and Star may have had a day to recover, but they still weren't ready for this.

     "What do you want?" seethed Star. She knew that not every Undead wanted to fight, but it was her instinct to do so. Just being near the teacher made it difficult for her to think straight. Battle rage slowly took its hold; if not for Marco's presence she may had already done something she would regret.

     Mr. Lucitor pushed away his enjoyment, the young Butterfly did remind him of a certain Queen. "I bring no harm. Yet. If you two will take a seat to listen to me for a moment."

     "-sigh- Sure." Marco guessed that it wasn't going to get anywhere without humoring the teacher. "Star, let's sit down and listen to what he has to say. Okay?"

     "Oh-okay."

     Both teens took their respective seats. Though Marco was patient to listen to what the Undead had to say, Star was still on edge. She twiddled her thumbs in desperation to loosen her battle rage.

     Mr. Lucitor popped open the top button of his white collar. "Ahh. That's much better. Still a bit too anxious to fight me little Butterfly? Please, if we can avoid it, I would love to. I was never for one to get into a scuffle." He gave both a wide smile and continued, "So, let's start from the beginning. I. Am. Dave Lucitor, Lord of the Underworld, a member of the Original Quartet, the King of Clubs. I have been recently awoken from my slumber, and I just want one thing... I want to be a teacher."

     Both Marco and Star gave each other an unbelievable look of confusion.

     "What?! I just want to be a teacher. Is that so hard to believe?"

     Both Star and Marco couldn't hold it in, an uproarious laughter broke the tension in the room. Star held onto her sides as Marco tried to cover his mouth, neither of them successful in dying down the laughter. Mr. Lucitor gave a blank stare at the two before joining them in their chortling, he was glad that Star had at least retained the humor the Butterfly family was known for.

     After a while, Marco wiped a tear from his face. "Whoo. We're sorry Mr. Lucitor. Neither of us were prepared for that. Not that we're not taking you seriously, but after fighting one Undead and nearly getting our heads chopped off by Crescenta, we didn't really know what you'd do."

     "Ah. So, you two have met Crescenta Butterfly. I had heard word that she had already been sealed. That must've been your two's doing. I do hope she didn't cause a ruckus. She can be too eager sometimes." Mr. Lucitor rested a palm under his chin as he examined the two children.

     "Well, she did so willingly," Marco spoke up.

     Star quickly attached, "Your highness." The tension in the room might've left, but Star felt that it was better to be safe than sorry.

     "Please, don't do that. I may be a king, but I no longer have a kingdom. Leave the… formalities. Just refer to me as Mr. Lucitor. Treat me like your teacher."

     "Sure, Mr. Lucitor. I know this maybe much to ask, but what exactly are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be… getting ready for… y'know? Your encounter?" Marco tried to skirt around the issue, he wasn't entirely sure how to treat the man in front of him yet. There was something different from him than when they had met Crescenta. She too was an Undead, but she wasn't so intimidating until she wanted to be. Mr. Lucitor on the other hand extruded danger, like it was the very air he breathed.

     "Like I said, I wanted to be a teacher. I've been away for ten thousand years. I just wanted to do something before I had to go back."

     "You mean get sealed again? But maybe you could win the tournament? And get your wish fulfilled. Sir." Star shyly questioned the king.

     "Win? Me? Preposterous. How could I win, if I had already lost?"

     Both teens looked in puzzlement. As far as either knew, this was a tournament and that every participant but Marco could win. What did the Undead king mean?

     "Lost are you two? Seems like you two know nothing."

     "Excuse us Mr. Lucitor, but we've just been given what I'm assuming to be the bare minimum from Glossaryck." piped Marco.

     "Ah! Glossaryck! Is that how you got Eclipsa's belt? And is that why Star is here?" the king looked at his two students knowing full well that the tiny blue man had kept the truth from both of them. Though, he couldn't blame Glossaryck, he was just doing his job. "How about this? I'm your teacher correct? So, I'll continue like one. After all your daily classes are done, we'll have a remedial class. I will offer my knowledge on the Battle Royal and when the time is right, I'll give you your final exam. How about it?"

     "Uhh…" Star didn't know how to respond; she desperately needed answers, but Glossaryck wasn't answering. However, she didn't know if she could trust the Undead king.

     "Star, let's do it." Marco reassured Star with that brilliant smile of his. "I mean we've met Crescenta and she didn't do much except threaten us. And I get it, Mr. Lucitor gives me the willies, but he doesn't seem like a bad guy. Let's give it a try before we have to fight. If we can get this over with without hurting someone that'd be great. Well, practically speaking."

     Her instincts told her to just fight and seal away the Undead right now. However, Marco was right, it would be more prudent to get much needed information. Plus, the teacher wasn't a bad person, he just felt dangerous.

     "OH! I bet you get shivers around me. Sorry, I can't help it, just too much power." Mr. Lucitor gave the teens a grin as he waved his hands in front of himself. "I'm against fighting, but not against having power. I am one of the four oldest, but it's been so long that I forgot that not everyone can withstand my presence. So, please, just give me a chance. I want to teach, and if it doesn't work out, I guess you can always choose the old fashioned method."

     "Sure, I guess what do we have to lose?" Star relented and pushed aside her instincts.


	15. Episode 05 - Chapter 02

Hoshi no Kirifuda  
Episode 05 - Chapter 02

Disclaimer:  
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred. These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes.

Author's Notes:

Please keep the reviews coming, especially if it is constructive.

000000

     A girl in an olive green beanie hat was pacing in front of her classroom, growing more impatient as time passed. Janna had left class like always, sprinting towards Marco's locker, and planning to jump the young man as he tried to awkwardly make conversation with Jackie Lynn Thomas. However, things didn't go as usual. Marco and Star had been held back in class; and by the time Janna had realized it to return back to the classroom the door had already been locked from the inside.

     "-Ugh!- What's taking them so long!"

     She stopped pacing and decided to just see how Marco was doing. The classroom door had a window that one could peer into, it wasn't her fault if she saw things she wasn't supposed to, she didn't design the door. Also, she wasn't going to eavesdrop, but she couldn't help it if she heard something here and there through the poorly crafted entryway.

     All she could see was Mr. Lucitor sitting at the teacher's desk; along with Marco and Star sitting at their usual spots at the front of the class. Janna wouldn't say it wasn't interesting to see, but it wasn't a screening of the new Marvel film. From what she could tell Star looked adamantly blood thirsty, Star gripped onto her desk at an attempt to hold herself at bay.

     "Huh? I wonder what's got the princess all riled up?"

     It was then that Marco had turned his head towards Star, and Janna could see the look of worry in his eyes. The kind of look that he hasn't given to her in all the years she's known him since kindergarten. 'He could at least humor me some times. -sigh-' It may have been because he had grown up to see her as just the same Janna, but it was difficult on the girl who had been vying for the boy's attention. 'Like, could I make it anymore obvious?'

     Before Janna could delve deeper into her own personal drama, everyone in the classroom started laughing. 'What the fuck did I miss?'

     When the laughter died down, she saw that Marco was awkwardly trying to ask the substitute teacher some sort of question. His face was doing that thing like always when he was trying to politely beat around the bush. A bead of sweat dropped from Marco's forehead as it looked like he struggled to find his words.

     Soon after, it was when Janna was able to make out the first distinguishable words from Mr. Lucitor, "-away for ten thousand years. I just wanted to do something before I had to go back."

     'Ten thousand years? What are they talking about?'

     The next few bits were muffled as everyone kept their voices low. Things didn't get lively enough to hear until Mr. Lucitor loudly voiced, "Glossaryck! Is that how you got Eclipsa's belt? And is that why Star is here?" There was a slight pause before he continued, "How about this? I'm your teacher correct? So, I'll continue like one. After all your daily classes are done, we'll have a remedial class. I will offer my knowledge on the Battle Royal and when the time is right, I'll give you your final exam. How about it?"

     'Remedial class for Marco? I mean I can understand Star, cuz sometimes I wonder if that girl is right in the head… But wait what's a battle royal? No one hides secrets from me Marco Ubaldo Diaz.'

000

     It had been almost half an hour before the end of their talks with Mr. Lucitor, and somehow even with knowing that he had agreed to the Undead's terms, he felt that he hadn't made a deal with a devil. 'Ironic, he's supposedly the Lord of the Underworld.' Marco internally as he and Star made their way home, only to be ambushed by Janna.

     "Janna! Were you waiting for the whole time? Sorry." he apologized to his childhood friend.

     Janna slung her arm around Marco's shoulders. "No probs! It's not like you wasted half an hour of my life with boredom. Shi-he-he!" she snickered as she poked Marco in the ribs.

     "Ow! Okay, okay, I get it Janna. We're sorry. -sigh-" Marco nudged Star, who seemed to have been in a stupor since their encounter with the Undead teacher. She may have agreed to the terms, but she didn't look like she was happy about it. He knew that the blonde haired girl was already emotionally wrecked from the past few days, and today's encounter didn't help.

     "Oh! Yeah, we're sorry Janna. Mr. Lucitor just wanted to give me some extra lessons. Like, uh… tutoring. I guess my Mewni teachings don't translate too well here on Earth." Star had given the other girl a smile to try to hide her misgivings.

     "Y'know Star, with a face like that-"

     Marco cut off Janna before she could make matters worse, "HEY! I know, how about we get some burritos on me?! I think some food might just help."

     "Aw shit! Diaz is buy-ying! Double the MEAT!"

     "Ah, no, Janna within reason. Are you even listening to me?!" He flung his arms up, knowing that the Filipino girl was gonna get her way anyways.

     Watching the scene, Star couldn't help but burst out laughing at the scene. 'Whatever, I'll deal with everything else later.' Catching her breath, "Squire, feed me! Show me what this boo-rito is!"

     "Star, it's pronounced burrito," he smiled as he was glad that Star had somewhat gone normal.

000

     They had finished with their dinner and decided that it was a good time to head on home. Marco had texted his parents ahead of time, letting them know that he had taken both the girls out to get some food. He was glad that his parents were sometimes too understanding, but they let him know that it would be better to not stay out so late on a school night.

     "Ew, Star, that was the most disgusting thing I have ever seen anyone put in their burrito." Janna pretended to stick her finger down her throat, pretending to heave up her stomach's contents.

     Star slightly drooled, "But the sugary goodness…"

     "Star, I don't usually agree with Janna, but seriously, pouring the whole canister of sugar into your burrito? I don't know how you do it."

     The group of teens waved each other off as they headed towards their separate ways. It had been another long day, and they were all glad that at least there was no assigned homework tonight. It was a bit cloudy out and both Marco and Star had made some distance on top of the bike before they heard a noise. They were in the middle of the park, when they had stumbled upon two clashing Undead warriors.

     "Seriously?" Marco breathed. "Can't we catch a break?"

     Star pointed to the treeline and whispered, "Let's watch."

     He moaned in protest, but relented. They both got off the bike as quietly as they could and ran towards the trees for cover. The clouds in the sky were beginning to break up and the near half moon had illuminated the two Undead. Their weapons sparked against one another. One wielded what looked like a pair of solidified golden lightning bolts, each swing crackled the air as it struck with the opponent's weapons; the other had a pair of sickles with a chain that ran between them, and as they swung around vacuums of wind formed cutting up the terrain. Earth and debris flung around as the two young spectators shielded their eyes, intently watching as the either elemental behemoths refused to give up their ground. The lightning Undead had a mostly blackened body as if it were scorched, its blackened head was in the shape of a deer, on top were antlers composed of golden lightning, and through the two weapons it held, the golden electricity flowed up through its arms attempting to escape through the shoulders. Whereas the wind elemental had a rust red feathered body that darkened on the edge of its body, it had a sharp bent beak, on its back were two blackened wings, and its two sickles were hazel turquoise in color gleaming against the night sky as they struck.

     "Marco, I'm going to get in there."

     "What?! Are you crazy? Look at those two, we haven't fought anything like that. Those are literal monsters!"

     "I _need_ this Marco. I've been holding back all day, I-I can't anymore," she shivered.

     "-sigh- Then, let's wait for them to tire out."

     "I'm sorry Marco, I can't wait!" Star lunged out of her hiding space and ran towards the two opposing elements. It wasn't that she didn't consider Marco's safety, she knew he was right. It would be better to wait, but she had held her instincts back all day, and her patience had worn thin. Her warrior spirit took hold, curdling her bloodlust. "HENSHIN!"

     "FUCK!" Marco followed Star, he wasn't going to let her fight against the two monsters alone. He was going to have a serious talk with her if they survived otherwise this was going to seriously become a recurring thing. "HENSHIN!"

     "CHANGE."

     "TURN UP."

     Both youths changed into their armored states and took on defensive stances. However, neither Undead paid attention to the children, too intent on the opponent in front of them. Star shook her hands from the lack of attention and then charged at the avian Undead, knocking it out of the way as Star nearly took the blow it was meant to receive.

     "GOD DAMMIT STAR! We are so going to have a talk after this!" Marco took the moment both Undead were distracted by Star to unsheathe his katana and attempt to strike the deer Undead. However it blocked the strike and shoved Marco away from it.

     A lightning bolt pointed itself at Marco. "Blade! DaH may'! (Leave me to my battle!)"

     By now, Marco figured that the Blay Buckler had been translating the alien language and he hoped it worked both ways. "Honestly, I would love to, but I don't think the Princess would appreciate it." He looked over as he saw Star furiously fighting the winged Undead.

     The horned Undead seemed to didn't care or understand Marco and simply charged at the other pair of fighters, aiming to strike down its original opponent. Marco quickly dashed in between the distance and slashed the space between him and his Undead target. Again, the deer Undead blocked, this time a look of frustration took hold.

     "neH pIHoH jIH wa'DIch. (I'll just kill you first.)"

     "Great," Marco exasperated.

000

     Star had been throwing punches and kicks at the wind based Undead. Most of her attacks landed, but the monster proved to be more durable than she believed. 'If only I had a weapon.'

     The winged Undead grew annoyed at Star's attempts, it flapped its wings, and a miniature tornado spiraled itself towards the interfering girl. "maHvaD mej. poH QaQ ghaH. (Leave us. You are not worthy of my time.)"

     Star was swept up into the tornado and flung upwards. Her body spun around mid-air before crashing on the ground. For Star, the world was spinning. Her head hurt and her body ached; if it weren't for her transformed state, she was sure she'd have a concussion.

     "ghuHmoH qIm 'ej mej. (Heed my warning and leave.)"

     Star growled as she got back onto her feet, "SanwIj SoH qab. nargh neH wa' maHvaD. (It is my destiny to fight you. Only one of us will leave here alive.)"

     The avian Undead glanced over to see that its former opponent had its hands full with Blade and then turned its head back to Star and sighed, "puq nuq pong SoH? (Child what do you call yourself?)"

     Star paused for a second before giving an unseen smirk, "Chalice."

     "maj, wej vaj jey ghojmoH SoH jIH. (Very well, I shall teach you the meaning of defeat.)" The Undead took an offensive stance and lunged at Star. It threw out one of the sickles at Star only for her to gracefully dodge it.

     "DaSovrup nIvbogh? (Is that your best?)" Star taunted her opponent. However, she failed to register that the twin sickles were chained to each other. The winged Undead tugged on the sister pair, pulling back the sickle. Soon the returning sickle carved through the Earth heading straight towards Star. The unearthed debris knocked Star into the air, which was fortunate, causing her to avoid the sickle.

     This time she landed on her feet instead of crashing onto the floor. She looked over to see that Marco and compared how much more she was struggling against her opponent. 'Apparently talking big game is all I'm good for. If I just had a weapon, I can at least even out the playing field. But maybe I could… make one.' She recalled how Marco had taken the Lizard Undead's weapon and reforged it into his own.

     Again, the winged Undead threw one end of the twin sickles and chain at Star. It was the moment she had waited for. She let it barely graze past her, just enough that as the chain went past Star, she straightened out her hand into a knife and chopped at the chain. She poured her strength through her right hand, her eyes and her hand flickered a green light before slicing straight through the links of the chain. The surprising slack in the Undead's weapon threw its balance off, it used its wings to balance itself as it looked in shock as to what Star had just done. Without giving her opponent a chance to recover, she leapt backwards to the sickle she had just freed and took it in hand. The sickle in hand began to twist and bend, shaping itself into a crescent shaped weapon. The new weapon had a hand grip that was protected by a hand guard similar to the Chalice Rouser, it was silver with a red heart encompassed in a golden border; and at both ends of the grip and guard were two extended silver and gold blades that formed the crescent shape.

     Star admired her new weapon, "Oh yeah, this'll do," before dashing back at the surprised Undead. "DaH 'IHbe'chugh Quj. (Now it's a fair game.)"

     Her crescent blade clashed against the sickle as she twirled around like as if she were dancing. The new weapon made her strikes a new threat, and her wispy movements made it difficult for the avian Undead to track. Her movements mimicked the capricious wind, flowing from one strike to the next without predictability. So, instead of choosing to continue their melee clash, the Undead leapt into the air with a quick wingbeat. It had originally decided to show its superiority by defeating Star in a ground duel, but it became very clear that it had underestimated the girl's abilities. First, by ruining its twin sickles and chain; second, by stealing and reforging the lost end of the twin sickles; and third matching it in close combat. However, it realized that it was taking too much time trying to deal with the wretched girl that stood between it and the true foe. It increased the tempo of its wing-beats, picking up more wind with each flap eventually forming a large twister that it aimed at Star.

     Star wasn't prepared for a strike from afar and after much of the damage done by both of their attacks, there was nothing for her to hide behind to avoid the long ranged strike. 'I _need_ something to hit him from this distance.' She squeezed the grip of her weapon and then she heard an audible click. In surprise, the two blades on her weapon unfurled from a crescent shape to something more akin to a longbow; the two blades mimicked the limbs of a bow. 'Huh. Ask and you shall receive I guess? But what do I shoot with? Do I just point and shoot?' Star looked back to her practical lessons, remembering how to properly use a longbow. She took her position and imagined a taut bowstring to be pulled on. With the bow in her right hand, she pulled on the imaginary bowstring, as she followed through the motions an arrow of light nocked itself on the bow. Star aimed the arrow of light straight at the flying Undead and let loose when it felt like she had reached maximum tightness.

     Star let loose a cry, "FORCE ARROW!"

     Star's arrow flew straight and true, dispersing the launched twister and piercing the Undead through the chest. It fell from the sky like a bird that had its wings clipped. The Undead crashed against the Earth, creating a sizable crater, and it laid there defeated by the young blonde. Quickly Star pulled out a blank card from her silver hoister attachment and tossed it at the defeated Undead sealing it away.

000

     Marco had been holding his ground against the lightning Undead. They had been exchanging blows, but neither cut deep enough to actually inflict any real harm. However, the repetition of strikes exchanged between his katana and the two lightning weapons slowly caused a numbness to develop in his body. Neither fighter were very finesse with their weapons, and it had turned into a battle of attrition and endurance. A battle that Marco knew that he was going to lose if it kept up.

     "SoHvaD ghov jIH je SuvwI'. 'ach jey, chID QoQ janmey Daghaj. (I recognize you as a warrior. But admit defeat, you do not have the endurance.)" the Undead voiced almost sounding concerned for Marco. "Qup, qechmey jIyIntaH qetlaw'? vImuSHa'taHbogh 'ej nuv'e' qab vIleghjaj. (You are young, you must have much to live for? Let me pass and face my foe.)"

     "Sorry, but I can't let that happen. I'd be a poor squire if I let you go." Marco knew the Undead didn't understand his words, but he hoped his actions conveyed enough. He could hear the background noises from Star as she faced her opponent. Last he saw of her, she was caught in a miniature tornado before being tossed around. However, he knew how stubborn she was, and was glad that she got back up on her feet soon enough.

     His fight with the Undead had been much less violent than he had believed it would've been. Though they exchanged blows, the Undead was never serious enough to just cleave him in half. Marco was glad and yet he was upset that he wasn't deemed enough of a threat. He wasn't a master by far, but he had trained diligently in his karate class for years now, he held pride in his red belt. 'But I guess that much experience must be a speck of sand compared to what this Undead has been through. It doesn't help that I'm not trained in swordsmanship either.' He tried to recall everything at his disposal, the teachings his sensei taught him or any other words of advice that would give him an edge. He needed something to just push beyond his current abilities. He may have been stronger and more durable due to his transformation, but it wasn't enough against experience.

     The deer Undead had been toying with Marco, just enough to see what he was capable of. It had realized long ago that the young warrior had heart, but not the power nor experience to execute it. The Undead remembered its first encounter with the previous Blade, and this successor lacked so much that the predecessor did. Maybe it was out of pity, maybe it was just whimsical, but the Undead had decided to pass on what little swordsmanship it could to the young warrior. Each strike in their blows corrected the inexperienced warrior's stance and refinined what little technique he had. However, that knowledge came with a price. The deer Undead knew that the young warrior was reaching the end of his stamina and would eventually yield. But yet it saw the fire still burned in the youngling's eyes. It may not have been long, but it grew a sort of pride and respect towards the young one. It had been so long since it had the experience of a master to protégé relationship. It was so refreshing to see a someone absorb its lessons.

     "loS. (Wait.)" The lightning Undead pointed into the sky.

     Marco looked towards the direction to see that the bird Undead had gone high into the sky gathering a twister that it planned to throw at Star.

     "vaj wuq maH je SuS veb. (We shall decide this with the next blow.)"

     Marco swallowed, he had no response except to nod. He was physically worn out. All that held Marco up was his fear of failure. He didn't know what would happen to Star if he failed to stop the deer Undead here. 'Marco Diaz, if you've got another card up your sleeve this would- Wait. I do have another card.' He looked at the Undead in front of him as it prepared its last strike; and Marco reached to his card holder that hung to his right side next to his scabbard. He pulled out the Two of Spades: SLASH; and stared at it 'Now how do I use it is the problem.' It was then that he remembered something peculiar about Star's Chalice Rouser. 'But do I have anything like that...?'

     The deer Undead watched Marco, intent to see what the young warrior's final move would be. It was surprised to see that the boy had pulled out another sealed Undead card.

     Marco turned towards his opponent and spoke words he knew would never be understood by the monster, "If I can't beat you with one card, maybe I can do it with two." He took the card and swiped it between the slit of the spade at the bottom of his hilt.

     In response to his actions Marco's Blay Buckler announced, "SLASH!" The blade of his katana glowed blue imbued with an unknown power. Marco didn't know what it was, but he hoped it was going to be enough to defeat the Undead.

     It was then that Marco heard the chilling laughter of his Undead opponent, "ghoS! (Come!)"

     At that announcement, they both charged at each other swinging their last attacks. They both stood with their backs turned against one another, as if time paused. However, the winner of the duel had been decided.

     "'oH law' je qaStaHvIS qoH jIH. pol nuq DayajmeH Dapabchugh. (It seems I fooled around far too long. Practice what I've taught you.)" Lightning parted the night sky as the Undead fell onto its knees, its two lightning weapons shattered in half scattering among the battlefield.

     Marco turned around and threw a blank card, sealing the defeated Undead.


	16. Episode 05 - Chapter 03

Hoshi no Kirifuda  
Episode 05 - Chapter 03

Disclaimer:  
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred. These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes.

Author's Notes:

Please keep the reviews coming, especially if it is constructive.

000000

     "I will not let you do as you wish!" Ludo screeched as he stared down his opponent in front of him. The deck that laid in front of him seemed to flee from the tiny bird man's hand as he attempted to draw from it. The candles in the background flickered, and the shadow of his opponent overshadowed his tiny frame. Sweat beads dripped from Ludo's beak, his tiny fingers pressed against the top of the card deck as he drew a single card. His eyes bulged out of their sockets in surprise to the card he drew. "AH-HA! I SUMMON THE MIGHTY BLUE-EYES WHITE DRAGON!"

     "Sir, you can't do that, that's against the rules. You have to tribute monsters to summon that card and you have none left," Buff Frog corrected Ludo.

     "I don't care! That's how they do it on the show Buff Frog! _So_ , I summon my giant dragon! Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha! Go, my dragon, WHITE LIGHTNING!"

     The frogman simply rolled his eyes, "I activate my trap card, 'Dimensional Prison,' it allows me to banish an attacking monster when it declares an attack. I remove your Blue-Eyes."

     "-ARGH!- NOOO! MY DRAGON!" Ludo threw his cards at Buff Frog. "That's not fair! I don't want to play this anymore! I never win."

     Buff Frog simply just gathered the cards putting them away like always, knowing that as much as his diminutive superior spouted such nonsense, he would quickly change his mind and challenge him again. He had given his daily reports to Ambassador Ludo and eventually it spiraled into a children's card game. His report included the surveillances of the recent actions from the new Kamen Rider Blade and other unnamed Rider. However, the only thing of significance from the surveillance was the unexpected incident reported a couple days ago. It involved the two Riders getting involved in a training exercise that went terribly wrong from what was reported. They would have to dig further into that matter and hopefully it would produce results. Since the incident, nothing of note had occurred.

     Ludo crossed his arms and feigned ignorance to throwing his temper tantrums. "So, Buff Frog, are there any new reports on the next project? Project Another Suit?"

     "Sir, we have begun on phase one. Test subjects are being gathered as we speak and we will shortly move onto phase two."

     "Good. Move the project team along and get them to speed up. I want phase three initiated before next week. It shouldn't take so long to gather the resources needed for this." Ludo interlocked his fingers, and gave a sinister grin. "Yes, things are moving along so _smoothly_. AH-HA HA-HA AH-HA-HA! Laugh with me Buff Frog!"

     "Yes Sir! Heh-he-he-oh."

     "Dammit if I tell you to laugh, laugh like you mean IT!"

     "Yes Sir! HEH-HE-HE HEH-HO-HO!"

     "That's it Buff Frog! Laugh evilly with me! AH-HA-HA-HA AH-HA-HA-"

     A loud bang from the floor above interrupted the joyous moment between Ludo and minion, followed up with a loud demand, "DAD! KEEP IT DOWN! I still have school tomorrow! And it's been a long day at work!"

     Both Ludo and Buff Frog instantly had sour faces, shutting down their rambunctious behavior. In response to the demands, Ludo apologised, "Sorry Ducky! We'll keep it down now. Go back to sleep."

     Ludo looked at his minion nervously as he hoped that his daughter would go back to sleep soon enough. He often wondered if she was just coming to that age. She had turned fourteen over the summer and he dreaded the time that would eventually come when she would bring a boy home. She was growing up to be a beautiful swan, but she would forever be his little ugly duckling.

     Buff Frog cleared his throat, "Uh, sir. Since we're on the subject." He pointed at the ceiling. "Project Loose Change is-"

     Ludo smacked the frog in the face and yelled, "YOU WATCH YOUR MOUTH! SHE'S NOT LOOSE! SHE'S MY DAUGHTER!"

     "DAD! SERIOUSLY?!"

     "Uh- I'm sorry Ducky, I'm about to kick Buff Frog out of the house and it'll be quiet! I'm so sorry." Ludo pulled Buff Frog close to his face and whispered, "Keep it quiet and quickly give me the report."

     "Yes, sir. As I was saying, Project- I mean your daughter has been doing well. She's showing positive signs of growth. Her aptitude is high and she holds solid synchronization with the prototype. The missions are completed discreetly and she's already sealed half a dozen Undead."

     "Of course she's amazing, she's my daughter. You dolt." He kept his voice down, deathly afraid of what terrors his teenage daughter would bring if he woke her up a third time. "Now get out of my house."

     "But sir, there are still more reports-"

     "You think my daughter cares? She'll kill us if we wake her up again. Give me the rest tomorrow when she's at school." Ludo shooed his minion away. "You'll understand when you have children of your own."

     Buff Frog took the command and performed their salute, "Yee. Ambassador Ludo. Mew-Shocker Banzai."

     "Yes, yes. Mew-Shocker Banzai. Now get out of here."

     The frogman opened up the secret door that lead to a hidden underground tunnel. Before he could say anything else, his superior pushed him through it and closed the exit behind him.


	17. Episode 06 - Chapter 01

Hoshi no Kirifuda  
Episode 06 - Chapter 01

Disclaimer:  
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred. These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes.

Author's Notes:

Alright, just a heads up. This and the next two chapters are on the short side. I still beat four thousand words together, but still short. Sorry about that, I was working to get this finished before the weekend. Both Monster Hunter World and Dragon Ball Fighter Z is out, so I'll have a full weekend. I will try to have more chapters out next weekend, at the very least something along the lines of these three chapters. Also, I want to know if people want me to continue releasing my works like I have in episodes divided into chapters? Or would you just rather have me release the chapter as I finish them? Let me know in the reviews and comments.

Reviewer's Responses:

 

Please keep the reviews coming, especially if it is constructive.

000000

     "Mr. Diaz, would you please come up to the board and show us how to solve for this?" Mr. Lucitor kindly asked the boy.

     If it weren't for the recent days of events, Marco would've said that this would've been like any other Thursday, another day to dread at school before Friday. He got up from his desk and walked up to the blackboard. They had been doing some reviews on simple algebraic equations, which Marco had no difficulties solving. However, honestly, he thought that it was more aimed at students like Alfonso, Ferguson, Janna, and… definitely Star. She could do simple things, but anything more advanced than a fourth grader seemed to have always be out of reach for the girl.

     "You multiply by 5 on both sides of the equation. Then subtract by 6. And finally solve for X, which equals 2." Marco spun a piece of chalk between his fingers, it was an easy solve, but he was still proud of himself.

     "Aw yeah! That's my squire up there!" cheered Star.

     Mr. Lucitor devilishly grinned, "Oh look, we have our next volunteer. Star, would you like to come up and solve the next problem?"

     "Uh… no I do not."

     "Then let me rephrase. Star Butterfly, come up and solve the next problem, and I am not asking." The teacher pointed at the blackboard, with his grin still plastered on his face.

     "-Ugh- Fine."

     Marco and Star passed each other as one went back to their seat and the other pouted on their way up to the algebraic problem to be solved. Marco looked up from his desk looking at Star. She had opted to wear a sleeveless turquoise dress with a little white narwhal at the bottom of it. Marco approved of the outfit, but that wasn't what he was focused on. He was thinking back on the previous night and what Glossaryck had said to him before they had gone to sleep.

000

     The night before.

     Both Marco and Star had returned home after their fight with the two elemental Undeads. Marco couldn't feel his body, but he wasn't complaining, it was better than feeling pain. And Star had been ecstatic for defeating her opponent. She wouldn't stop rubbing her new card in his face. It was the Six of Hearts: Tornado; on it was a depiction of a rust colored hawk with black wings. He was glad that they made the night, but he couldn't comprehend where the girl got all her energy from. He had put away his new card in his deck box, the Six of Spades: Thunder; which depicted a black and golden deer on it.

     They both walked through the front door and though his parents were slightly concerned with their late night excursion, they placed enough faith in Marco to believe that they hadn't gone and gotten into any sort of trouble. 'If only they knew the truth.' Their concerns were quickly dismissed as the children rushed to get themselves washed up and head to bed. Both Marco and Star needed the rest, even if the blonde girl had enough energy to power the next city block over.

     After his shower, Marco was slightly recovered. However, he desperately needed to crawl between his sheets and just crash. That was the plan until he saw a little blue man sitting on his bed waiting for him as he walked through the threshold of his bedroom.

     "Glossaryck?"

     "I am."

     "Did you need something?"

     "No. But you do."

     It was late and Marco had taken another beating so soon into the week. He really wasn't in the mood for any sort of cryptic message Glossaryck might've had for him. He pinched the bridge of his nose and just sat next to the little man. "And now you feel like talking? Are you going to answer my questions?"

     The diminutive blue man sat still, and continued to stare at the closet door as he avoided eye contact with the boy. "Yes. No. I am here to give you a warning."

     "A warning?"

     "Yes. It is one that you will need." Glossaryck bent his head sideways and an audible popping noise came from his neck. "I've already told Star, but I have a feeling that she doesn't really listen."

     "She didn't listen? I wonder why? Could it be that a certain tiny blue man has been refusing to answer any of our questions?" the sarcasm dripped from Marco.

     "I could do without the sarcasm."

     "Also, how would you not know if she didn't listen or not, I thought you did the whole mind reading thing?"

     Glossaryck brought his hands together and pressed the pointer fingers against the tip of his nose as he pondered for a moment. "Nevermind that. Just listen to my warning. This is for your safety."

     "Fine. What's the warning?" Marco crossed his arms. He wasn't angry at Glossaryck, he knew that the tiny man had a job and was only doing it to his utmost ability. Marco was just almost too tired to care, but it did sound like it was urgent.

     "Do no use any of the Undead cards prior to your transformation with the Ace. It shouldn't be a problem for you, since you don't have the ability to do so without transforming. However, Star is a different case. I am telling you this so you can watch her. You're a responsible person, even with the occasional drifting thought that comes with youth. Star _must_ not use a card without the use of her Ace first." The tone in Glossaryck's voice wasn't the usual banter, he wasn't playing around.

     Marco gulped, "Why? What will happen if she does?"

     "Let's just hope that it doesn't have to happen. As you can see the Chalice Rouser is different from your Blay Buckler. There is a reason for that, and if Star doesn't heed my warning… A line will be crossed that she won't be able to come back from."

     "Vague as ever Glossarcyk."

     "I have to be my boy. If I told you the full truth, I fear how you may treat the girl." A look of concern appeared on his face. "I've been doing this for a long time, and this is the first time I've ever seen anything like this. And I would rather that it stays this way. For Star and you kid."

000

     Present Time.

     'I'm not entirely sure what Glossaryck meant by all that last night, I was too tired to press for it. But I doubt he'd had said anything further than that,' thought Marco. He glanced back at Star as she struggled to solve the easy algebra equation. He snickered at the girl's frustration, he found her pout to be just adorable at times. The girl was so confident in everything, but it was moments like this that made her so human. 'Or would the correct term be mewman?'

     Eventually with Mr. Lucitor's help, Star solved the easy three step equation. She stomped back to her desk, if she meant to hide her frustration she was failing to do so.

     "Hey don't mind it so much, you'll get it eventually." Marco beamed a smile at the girl. "Right Princess?"

     It was at that word that Star just let go of her spite towards the mathematical embarrassment. She always found it difficult to stay angry when her squire grounded her. It always helped that his smile just soothed her like warm sun rays. 'Her squire. My squire. My… Marco,' Star considered as a smile crept up on her face.

000

     BRRRING!

     The last bell for the school day went off. Marco had rushed to get to his usual spot at the end of the day. He had missed the moment once too many this week, and he wasn't going to miss out on his brief moment with Jackie before she left for the day. He leaned against his locker, hoping that it somehow looked cool enough for the green-eyed girl.

     That's when he noticed that she was distracted, looking at the floor, "How's it going Jackie?"

     She glanced up finally noticing the red hooded boy. "Oh, sorry Marco. -yawn- Work's been busy lately. And it doesn't help that I didn't get enough sleep last night."

     "You've got to take care of yourself. Whenever I get like that, I get a glass of water with a few slices of cucumber in it. The refreshing taste helps with that second wind," he gave her a grin.

     "Cool, cool. I'll have to try that sometime." She pulled out her phone and noticed the time. "-Ugh- Sorry Diaz, but I still got to get to work. My boss is a slave driver sometimes."

     "Hey, it's cool. I gotta go back to the classroom anyways. I've got some remedial."

     "Wha? The Safe Kid's got remedial?" she chuckled.

     "No. Uh-no, not me. Star. I just got to wait for a bit for her."

     Jackie continued to chuckle, "You're a nice guy Diaz. She's lucky to have you."

     "WAIT! WHAT?! NO! She and I aren't- We aren't- Nothing is going on between us. We're just friends."

     "Heh. That's good to hear. I've pressed my luck with work, but…" Jackie reached out and pressed her hand against Marco's chest, "maybe if you're _lucky_ we'll catch up later."

     Marco stood there slack jawed as he watched Jackie ride her skateboard into the sunset. 'What... just happened?'


	18. Episode 06 - Chapter 02

Hoshi no Kirifuda  
Episode 06 - Chapter 02

Disclaimer:  
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred. These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes.

Author's Notes:

Please keep the reviews coming, especially if it is constructive.

000000

     "What's got you so happy?" Star nudged into Marco.

     Marco flailed about, trying to hide his face. "What?! No- Nothing. Nothing happened at all!"

     "Uh-huh…" she didn't believe him, Marco had the biggest shit eating grin on, like he had just won the lottery or struck oil. She rolled her eyes at him, "... Sure."

     "If you two are finished with… your moment together. I would like to actually get on with the lesson." Mr. Lucitor interjected before anything between the teens could escalate. "I know how it is when you're young. However, we don't have time for that."

     "Sorry? What are you talking about Mr Lucitor?" Marco inquired. He wiped the grin off his face as he assumed what the Undead teacher was insinuating about his relationship with Star.

     "Oh, nothing. Just like how _nothing happened at all_ , right Mr. Diaz?" the teacher gave his student an all knowing wink.

     Star was dumbfounded, "Did... I miss... something?"

     Mr. Lucitor just chuckled at the girl's expense. "Oh-hu-hu. Let's get on with the lesson."

     Star sighed knowing full well that she wasn't going to get the answer she wanted from the Undead King. Even now, the threat of the man never escaped him. He always felt like a volcano just waiting to burst forth and cleanse the land.

     Both the students got back into their seats. Each of them wishing that they were just done with the day already. However, how much they needed the information from the Undead King, they were still both teenagers.

     "So, where should I begin?" Mr. Lucitor looked at his two students. Marco was as attentive as ever, and at least Star wasn't completely dismissive; it was a step in the right direction. "I know. Star, let's hear from you what you know. It'll help me figure out how much you don't know."

     Marco had been through with this once with Star already when Crescenta had intruded in his home. He knew that Star didn't really know anything, she wasn't really the type to retain anything that wasn't physical. The girl could fight like the dickens, but retained information like a brick. She wasn't stupid, but she wasn't knowledgeable.

     Mr Lucitor didn't look surprised at Star's lack of history. In truth, he'd been more surprised if Glossaryck had told these two the truth at all. 'I guess, I should throw these two a bone. Still… I've got to be careful with how much I let these two know. Can't be giving all the answers to the final exam.'

     Their teacher raised his hand, signalling Star to give up on her poor recollection of the past. "That's enough Star. It seems that I'll have to start from the beginning."

     Star hung her head in shame, "I'm sorry Mr. Lucitor. I never paid much attention in my studies. I didn't think I would need any of this in the tournament."

     "Oh, don't worry, I don't blame you. It's not like you would've known anyways. I suspect Glossaryck would've hid the truth from you anyways." he tried to give a reassuring smile. "Though, don't blame him. He's only doing his job."

     Again, Marco heard the same thing from Mr. Lucitor; that Glossaryck was just doing his job. 'Mr. Lucitor's got to know who Glossaryck works for then?'

     The substitute teacher walked up to the blackboard, erasing today's lessons. Soon after he started to draw four different shapes on the board. They were a spade, heart, diamond, and clover. Next, it looked like he drew a straight line with tacks branching from it; it roughly looked like a timeline.

     "Alright. This is going to go far back." Mr. Lucitor pointed to the beginning of the timeline. "I'm not exact, but our story begins nearly twenty thousand years ago."

     Both teens decided to keep quiet, intent on listening to the story.

     "You see, back then, the four kingdoms of Mewni were… I wouldn't say at peace with one another. But there were truces in place. However, these truces only really applied to three of the four kingdoms. The Butterfly family," he pointed at the heart. "The Johansens," next he pointed at the diamond. "And the Lucitors," his finger traced the clover. "We were on _good_ terms with one another. Lots of royal politics, families intermarried and such. My self and the two other rulers continuously clashed against the fourth kingdom, ruled by the monsters." They all looked at the spade, but Mr. Lucitor tried to avoid its sight.

     Marco raised his hand to ask a question.

     "Yes, Mr. Diaz?"

     "There was a kingdom of Undead?"

     Mr. Lucitor laughed at his forgetfulness, it has been a so long since he's reminisced on the past. "I'm sorry, I forgot that all you two have faced are the Undead. This is before the first Undead. The kingdom of spades were actual monsters. Very similar to the stories that you have here on Earth. Things of the likes of vampires, werewolves, etc…"

     Star asked a question, ignoring to raise her hand, "I've fought against monsters. They're not much. There was this one time-"

     "Young lady, it would be prudent of you to raise your hand. I am still a teacher." Mr. lucitor scolded his blonde student.

     Star nodded in recognition that she was out of line, "I'm sorry."

     "Good, let me continue. I can't keep you both here all day." He put his right hand under his chin, "Now where was I? Ah. All you two have to keep in mind is that there were four kingdoms. And that the kingdom of the monsters were not… compliant. Their king is a restless idiot, and he does not enjoy peace."

     Marco had pulled out a notebook, jotting down the history lesson. He was sure that he'd had to go over this again with Star at some point.

     "But that doesn't really matter much. It was because at a certain point, even with the King of Spades as reluctant as he was, eventually gave in to an alliance. You see, we all shared a new enemy. He called himself the Great Leader." Mr. Lucitor sat at his desk, with his hands interlocked. "This Great Leader led a religious group called Shocker. This cult had been recruiting our people. Turning families and friends against one another. Their dogma consisted of usurping the god of Mewni."

     Star insisted, raising her hand. Mr. Lucitor nodded in approval of whatever Star had to say. She turned to face Marco to explain, "The god of Mewni is the moon itself, hence his name Mewni. Our country and world were named after him in respect and reverence."

     "So, you're from the world named Mewni, from the country named Mewni, and Princess to the kingdom of Mewni?" Marco scratched his head in slight confusion.

     "You got it Marco!" Star slapped him on the back.

     "It seems like you do know at least something," the teacher smirked.

     Star fumed, "I'm not completely stupid!"

     The three of them snickered at Star's claim.

     "I'm sorry. Thank you for the additional information. I'm going to continue." The quick respite of giggles quickly turned back to the history lecture. "As I was saying, we all formed an alliance to fight against the Great Leader. But… he and his Shocker cult had been… modifying, changing people into monstrosities. When compared to the kingdom of spades, Shocker were inhumane. And we're talking about those who were born monsters. Even with our allied kingdoms we did not have the strength to fight Shocker and their troops." Mr. Lucitor clutched his hands into fists and slammed them into his desk. "Our morale was short, we knew that we were fighting brainwashed kinsmen. So… in order to combat this threat… myself and the three other rulers prayed to Mewni. And that was when we first met Glossaryck."

     The puzzle pieces began to click together in Marco's head. "You're telling us that Glossaryck works for a god?"

     The teacher refused to answer the question. Though the answer was in plain sight. He knew that it wasn't his place to give away Glossaryck's story.

     "Why not just ask him? That's his story to tell. I'll just neither confirm nor deny." The teacher saw that his students were demanding in more information about the little blue man, so he ignored it. "Back to my story. Hmm?"

     Both Marco and Star wanted answers about Glossaryck, but couldn't help it if Mr. Lucitor refused to give any further comment on the topic. Again, they just both reluctantly nodded.

     "You see, we were given a choice. We were told by Glossaryck that our choices were to concede to the Great Leader or fight him at a cost. Obviously we chose to fight." the Undead sighed. "We were all so young back then. Reckless and brash. We, the four rulers of Mewni chose to become the first Undead. With our new found blessed strength we were unmatched. Quelling the threat as easy as blowing out a candle. We were all amazed at how easily it took. A war that had taken half a decade, decided within a day after we became the Original Quartet… Not knowing that the blessing was a curse."

     His two students leaned in closer, asking at the same time, "A curse?"

     Their teacher looked at the clock, "And a story for another time."

     "You just can't stop now. Please continue?" Star actually pleaded as she realized how much she was now invested in her people's history.

     "Yeah, Mr. Lucitor. Don't leave us hanging here." Marco followed Star's plea.

     "I will continue the story at another date. You two have to get home. I believe I assigned homework and I expect it to be finished by tomorrow."

     "What did you mean by another date? Why not tomorrow?" the boy asked.

     "I do have a life outside of being a teacher. This may be one of the things I want to do, but there is still more to… what do you call it now a days? That's right. A bucket list," he chuckled at his own attempt at using Earth culture lingo. "Oh-hu-hu. Let's do this again, Monday, after the weekend. It'll give you time to… absorb information. Now, get. Go home."

     The two students got out of their seats and headed towards the door. Neither teenager noticed the solemn look of sorrow on the King of Club's face.


	19. Episode 06 - Chapter 03

Hoshi no Kirifuda  
Episode 06 - Chapter 03

Disclaimer:  
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred. These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes.

Author's Notes:

Please keep the reviews coming, especially if it is constructive.

000000

     "Thanks mom that was great." Marco honestly complimented his mother on another great dinner.

     "Yeah! It was great Mrs. Di- I mean Angie," Star almost failed to catch herself from complying to the Diaz matriarch's demand. "Now, if you don't mind," she grabbed onto Marco's hoodie and started to drag him to the front door, "we have some walking to do."

     Marco was choking on the girl's urgency to leave the house, "-Ack- Walking at this time of night?"

     "Yeah Marco. I may be a princess, but I'm still a girl. Gotta keep that figure." She smiled a unconvincing smile at the boy.

     He knew why she wanted to leave so quickly, but he had to at least give his parents a reason to not worry. He was able to wrestle the girl's hand off his hoodie and sigh, "Sorry mom and dad, we won't be out very long. I'll make sure Star doesn't get into too much trouble."

     Marco's father chuckled at the antics of the two teenagers, "Alright Mijo. Don't be out too late."

     Before the patriarch could finish, the two teens had already closed the front door behind them. Both adults looking at each other as they cleaned up the dining table.

     "Ah. To be young again," Mr. Diaz silently voiced. However, as a thought crossed his mind, he slightly elbow nudged his wife with sets of plates in hand. "You don't think those two are…"

     "Being young and hormonal teenagers?" Mrs. Diaz pointed out the obvious answer.

     Both of them met up at the sink and begun to perform their nightly exchange as they washed the dirty dining ware.

     "Yes."

     She laughed at her husband's perfectly rational thought. "Are you worried about something Rafael?"

     "No."

     She chose to tease her husband. "You think he inherited… his father's penchant for the fairer sex at a young age?"

     He choke at how accurate his wife could be at times, "I- I mean… I was young once. And-"

     "And we should trust our son."

     "Aye. You're right."

     Angela giggled at her husbands words, "I'm always right." She gave him a provocative grin. "And if you hurry up with cleaning up… since the kids are away… you might find out what _that_ means."

     Mr. Diaz scrubbed harder and faster than he had ever done in his entire life.

000

     Marco was chasing after Star. They had already ran past a several blocks and Marco noticed that he wasn't winded yet. Which was particularly odd since he fought an Undead the day prior. All the numbness and soreness that would've normally come after a bout like that was negligible at best this morning when he woke up. He had been shocked throughout that fight, and he knew his body was exhausted last night. However, now he was still exerting himself with a very apparent lack of fatigue.

     "Star?! Where are we going?"

     The girl hadn't responded and just kept running. It wasn't until they had reached a construction yard, that the girl slowed down her pace. She stood in the shadows of the construction equipment, her head turning side to side looking for something. Marco knew what the girl was looking for, and he was hoping that they wouldn't find it.

     "Over there." Star pointed behind a large orange and yellow crane.

     "How do you know?"

     "I just do." She put a finger up to her lips in a motion to silence the boy. "Be quiet. It's not alone."

     He didn't say a word and just silently followed the girl. 'Not alone? What did Star mean by that?'

     They hid behind the crane and saw that the double humpback Undead was already in combat with someone. No. to be more precise, it was having difficulties with its adversary. The other figure dashed from one shadow to another, hiding its presence, and shot some sort of weapon at the Undead. Finally, after multiple shots, the Undead fell over on its knees.

     A voice bellowed from the other figure, "DROP. FIRE. GEMINI. BURNING DIVIDE!" The assailant then leapt up into the air, splitting into another copy of itself. The unknown fighter and its copy's feet caught on fire as they each twisted and turned mid air and landed a reverse dropped scissor kick to the Undead. The clone vanished after the attack landed, and the Undead keeled over in an explosion. The light of the explosion revealed the unknown assailant.

     It wore a tight skin tight suit, with pieces of silver armor. On its chest was a silver diamond, and it had a gold diamond on each of its shoulders. Its figure was slim, but it wasn't completely discernable; if Marco had to guess the unknown fighter was probably female with the way its hips flared and rounded out. The helmet was a silver faceplate with large green eyes, and on its forehead were two stag like horns. On its waist, it wore a silver belt with a very recognizable buckle.

     Star jumped from her hiding spot to confront the unknown person. "Hey! Who are you?! What are you doing fighting Undead?"

     The unknown assailant ignored Star and turned back to the burning body of the defeated Undead. It took a card from a holster and tossing and sealing the Undead. It again turned around facing Star, this time putting the weapon it had used back in its holster. It looked like it had been using a red and green gun-like weapon with a silver diamond on each side of it. However, before Star could say another word, the figure jumped into the darkness.

     "That was my Undead to fight! You can't just escape with my prey!" Star screeched at the now gone assailant.

000

     Both teens slowly walked back to the house. Star was clearly dejected. Not only did she not get to fight an Undead, but an unknown assailant had beaten them both to the punch. Defeating the Undead and escaping with the sealed card. However, that wasn't what was bothering Marco. The problem was that the unknown fighter was clearly another Kamen Rider.

     "Hey, Star? We've got to talk."

     She sniffled a bit, "Yeah?"

     "Yeah. Just give me a sec. Wait here."

     They were in front of the 24 hour gas station, and Marco decided that he'd get something inside for Star. He shortly went in and out, carrying two steaming glasses.

     "It's hot chocolate," Marco informed Star.

     The girl took it from his hands and sat down in front of the gas station. She frowned as the glow of the store basked her from behind. Her emotions were boiling hotter than the beverage in between her hands.

     "Just listen. I know that tonight didn't go the way you wanted it to. However, I'm glad it didn't," Marco voiced his concern.

     She turned her head to throw a cold stare at the boy. He didn't know how she felt, at how much of a loss she felt. He sat next to the girl, blowing on his hot chocolate.

     He didn't face the girl, he just sat on the pavement next to her. "Star… You rush into a lot of trouble. Do you ever wonder about those you worry? You ever wonder about how much _I_ worry?"

     She released her cold stare on the boy. "I'm sorry Marco. Here I am dragging you again." She knew that the boy didn't need to come with her, but still chose to. "I just-"

     "I'm not done."

     Her gaze fell upon the steam rising from her cup.

     Marco continued, "I just want you to know that I don't mind being dragged along. Before you came along, life was just boring." He turned to face the girl and gave her a small warm smile. "But that doesn't mean that we should rush into danger all the time. Fun is fun, until someone gets hurt."

     "I-" Before she could apologize again, she felt a finger lifting her chin; it was Marco's. She looked into his brown eyes and saw the amount of concern he had for the blonde princess.

     "As long as you've listened to my concern and don't do it so often; I'll forgive ya. I can't have you worrying me all the time. Promise?"

     "I'll try," she pouted at the endearing boy.

     "Fair enough. I'll take what I can get for now. Now let's finish these and get home."

     Star scooted herself closer to the boy, and sipped on her hot chocolate.

     "Ouch. Hot, hot, hot! I think I burned my tongue," Star tried to speak with her tongue hanging from her mouth.


	20. Episode 07 - Chapter 01

Hoshi no Kirifuda  
Episode 07 - Chapter 01

Disclaimer:  
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred. These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes.

Author's Notes:

This episode is where I start introducing what you would call Original Characters. Some are just liberal uses of character names from the SvtFE lore, others are made up for the sake of the plot. Don't worry, I haven't done anything terribly with the source material. I just bent it a bit.

EDIT:

I went back and reviewed this episode after it was mentioned that I needed to clean it up some. I did make some changes, but nothing to the story. All the details are still the same, I just changed a few sentences here and there to hopefully make it less fragmented and less run-on. I honestly don't think I did enough, so if you notice something, please mention it. I can only be so critical of my own writing.

Reviewer's Responses:

 

Please keep the reviews coming, especially if it is constructive.

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     "Remember everyone, that next Friday is the Homecoming game and we have… the dance the day afterwards," announced Mr. Lucitor. "I look forward to chaperoning you kids." He grinned at the thought of watching this new generation's courting rituals.

     The final bell for the week rung and all the teenagers quickly gathered their school items and rushed towards their weekend plans. As per usual, Marco rushed out of the classroom. Star attempted to catch up to the boy, but she was caught in the crowd of B.O. and ecstatic teenagers. It felt like she was caught in an ocean current.

     When she was able to finally catch up to Marco, she saw that Jackie was waving back at the boy as she got on her skateboard and left school. On Marco's face was that odd grin; it gave Star an almost tightening feeling in her chest. She walked up to the boy and reached out to him. His body jolted as Star's hand clasped at his shoulder, shaking him out of his stupor.

     "OH! STAR! I didn't notice you there." Marco sheepishly grinned at Star.

     Star leaned in close to the light caramel skinned boy, "You alright Marco?"

     He stepped away from the girl, just enough for his personal space. "Yeah, yep. I'm fine. It's just- uh… nothing." His face flushed red with embarrassment.

     Her smile reached ear to ear as she peered at the grinning boy. Star may have been not the brightest when it came to school work, but she could easily put two and two together. She had already been able to pry out the boy's history with Jackie. Star had been told that he had known the Californian girl since what he recounted as "kindergarten" and that he had been pining after the girl for years. If she had to guess, that creepy smile that was plastered on the boy's face was because of Jackie. Star was happy to see Marco enjoying himself, but something still nagged at her about it.

     She impulsively teased the boy, "Nothing, eh Marco? Then what's that smile on your face for? Hmm?" She gave the boy a stink eye, raising an eyebrow in disbelief.

     "Uh…" Marco feigned pulling out his phone, "Would you look at the time?! If we don't hurry up, we won't have time to marathon all of those movies! Ha-ha-ha. Hah?"

     Star laughed at the flustered boy, "BWAH-HA-HA-HA! Oh, Marco, sure. Let's go do this movie thing. Onwards! To the CHARIOT!"

     Marco face palmed himself, "Star how many times do I have to tell you, it's called a bicycle."

000

     'Any minute now, those two will return here and I'll be able to catch them.' Janna had been waiting outside of their classroom waiting for Marco and Star to return for their "remedial" class. However, she hadn't noticed that she had been waiting for almost fifteen minutes.

     "Where the fuck are those guys?!"

000

     Star and Marco had just returned from the video rental store. They had both chosen a collection of various films. On Marco's list were "Fist of Fury" and "Mothra vs Godzilla." While Star had chosen "Tangled" and the video clerk's suggestion of the critically acclaimed "A Pair of Scissors." Marco tried to convince Star to pick something else, but gave into the princess, relenting that he'd have to watch a chick flick.

     Upon arriving home, Marco immediately began to set up his movie night with Star. He'd been looking forward to time to relax since the beginning of this week. Now he also had time to show Star a bit more about Earth, and weather permitting, teaching the girl how to ride a bike sometime this weekend. He didn't mind biking her to school everyday, especially since for some odd reason it seemed to get easier and easier everyday, but he'd had hoped that the girl could at least learn how to do it herself sometimes.

     Marco sat next to Star who was already wrapped up in a blanket burrito. He set the snacks on the coffee table in front of the couch the girl seated herself on.

     "I wanna watch mine first Marco!" Star commanded from the recesses of the blanket.

     "Yes, yes, Princess. As you command," he rolled his eyes at the girl. He was getting used to the the blonde haired girl's commands, in hindsight, he may be getting too used to it he thought. He had put in the Disney film, "Tangled," and promptly sat on the couch next to the girl.

     "This is gonna be good Marco, I can feel it."

     He couldn't help but snicker a bit at the absurdity of the blonde girl giving him commands from the safety of her blanket burrito. It were times like this that Marco just adored Star. Her natural upbeat energy kept him on his toes, and things were never boring with the girl. However, he really hoped that just tonight, things would be boring enough. They had been facing the Undead in some capacity almost everyday since Star's arrival, and Marco needed a break. He wasn't physically exhausted, but he wanted a breather.

     The movie started and Star scooted closer to the boy. Marco unconsciously wrapped an arm around the girl and pulled her even closer. Not remotely aware of the atmosphere, the two teens decided to just enjoy the film.

000

     'Seriously? I find the two and they're just at home cuddling?! Fuck.'

     Janna had walked in on Marco and Star who had both fallen asleep on the couch. She noticed how close the two were, shoulder to shoulder, the only thing separating the two teens was a blanket that Star had wrapped around herself. There were snacks scattered in front of the two. But what really caught the Filipino girl's attention was the casual arm that slung behind Star that belonged to Marco.

     'That should be me…' Janna internally sighed.

     She thought to herself again about how unfair it felt that Marco just never picked up on her attention of him. They had grown up together as close friends, but it wasn't until a year ago that the girl realized that she had feelings for the boy. She may had pranked the boy quite a bit as children, but as she started to mature, she noticed that her teasing wasn't just that anymore. What she wanted was the boy's attention. At first it wasn't obvious, it wasn't that different from what they used to do as children. However, eventually it escalated; going from the daily thefts to invading the boy's personal space. And yet, she still hadn't been able to share a moment with the boy like Star did here. She had reluctantly let Marco have his infatuation with Jackie. In her opinion, she paled in comparison to the cool Californian girl; but Star was another matter, she was new. Unlike Jackie, who also grew up with Marco, Star popped out of nowhere and had staked her territory immediately calling Marco her squire. 'Like, what is that about? I'm working my butt off to get a shred of attention and this skank shows up out of nowhere and instantly gets between me and Marco. I'm practically throwing myself at him. Speaking of which… CANNONBALL!'

     Janna landed on the laps of Marco and Star. Both of the two teens gasped for air as Janna knocked into them. Startled, the teens screamed at Janna's ambush.

     "Ja-JANNA?! What the fuck are you doing here?!" Marco yelled at the girl.

     Janna went into a fit of laughter, as Marco struggled to push the girl off of him and Star. Star had remained muffled in her blanket, it wasn't like she could do much in her position. Her current predicament was her own undoing, the blanket burrito was a mistake.

     "Don't be a little bitch Diaz. I walked in an noticed that you two were having such a fun time. I just had to do something since you decided to keep me out of it."

     Marco sighed, giving up trying to figure out what ran through the intruding girl's mind, "Whatever. -Sigh- How did you get in? Did you break in through the back… again?"

     "What? Me? Break in? How dare you accuse a lady such as myself of such unbecoming behavior!" Janna feigned shock. "Of course not, I…" She produced a house key from the inner pocket of her turquoise jacket, "have a copy of your house key. Ha-ha!"

     A slap could be heard from across the world as Marco face palmed himself. "Of course you do." He had been so used to the girl stealing and eventually returning his keys, that it never registered that Janna could've made a copy. Their hands vining for the key eventually lead to Marco and Janna wrestling for the key. "Give. Me. The. Key. Janna."

     "Make. Me." Janna gave Marco a sinister grin and thought to herself, 'Yours.'

     Due to the rough housing between Marco and Janna, Star was able to free herself from her blanket imprisonment and spoke up, "Can't we just watch the rest of the movie?"

     The two disputing teens stopped and stared at the blonde who was still struggling to unwrap herself from the blanket. Then they both turned their heads to each other. Marco and Janna blinked at each other before breaking out in laughter, Star soon followed suit. After the laughter had died down, Janna had relented and put the key into Marco's hand. If Marco had been a bit more attentive, he might've even noticed that her fingers lingered on his palm just a second too long.

     "Here Marco. You can have this key," the mischievous girl grinned before adding, "It isn't like I don't have more."

     Marco sighed, he knew he should ask for all of the copies, but chances were the girl would just lie to him about the amount of keys she had. He also considered getting his parents to replace the lock on the door, but again, the girl would just figure out how to get another key. The cycle would never end.

     Janna finally got off the other two and sat right between them. "Alright Marco, put in the next movie! Let's watch some kaijuus!"

     "No, Marco we gotta finish this one first! I got to know what happens!" Star vehemently voiced.

     The two girls kept raising their voices, trying to beat another for Marco's attention. 'Out of the fire and into the frying pan. Is it always like this with girls?' Marco internally sighed. He looked at the two with a pained face. "OK. OK. I've made a decision… We're gonna just watch the last act of 'Tangled' and then we'll watch some monster on monster action. Got it?" The boy had put his foot down. Dealing with Janna was always a pain, if he didn't draw the line once in a while, she'd take another mile.

     "Yes!" Star announced in victory.

     "Fine." Janna didn't really want to accept Marco's decision, however she had already annoyed him enough for now. She would love to continue pushing his buttons, but she figured she'd have all night to do so. Plus, it was enough that she had interrupted the two and squeezed in between their space.


	21. Episode 07 - Chapter 02

Hoshi no Kirifuda  
Episode 07 - Chapter 02

Disclaimer:  
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred. These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes.

Author's Notes:

Please keep the reviews coming, especially if it is constructive.

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     'Wa, wa, wa-wah. Wah, wah. Wah. That's all I hear, it's the same old boring conversation we have every time we meet. I don't know why I even bother to show up,' a golden clad figure mused to himself. 'I should just forget all of this nonsense. I don't care about these experiments. I just don't care. Maybe it's time for me to just forget all of this nonsense?'

     He was taken out of his train of thought as he was poked by a multi-spiraled horned figure to his right. "Hey pay attention, it isn't my job to regurgitate the information if you're not-"

     The golden figure in a swift motion squeezed the windpipe of the rude horned figure. "Were you speaking ill of your KING?"

     The dim lights revealed the golden figure. He was clad in golden armor, its motif was of some sort of beetle. The armor had multiple spikes jutting out of it. On his left arm was a mounted black and golden shield. He had four spikes that stuck out of his head, the most prominent spike proudly struck out of his forehead.

     "Gentlemen, is there a problem?" voiced a small bird man who sat across the round table.

     "It isn't anything I can't deal with Toffee," the King asserted. "I just had to remind the whelp here who is king. What do the people of this world call it? That's right. I just had to choke a bitch." The King turned his attention back to the one who was still choking under his grasp. He stood up and easily lifted up the choking monster and squeezed a bit tighter to get his point across. "Who's the bitch?"

     Looking at the choking figure, one could see that it had a goat motif. Excluding its main face, it had two additional faces on each side of its head. Each goat face had a pair of crooked and spiraled horns, a total of six sat on top of its head. Its color scheme seemed to split its body down the middle; half light grey and the other half black.

     The goat Undead gurgled an answer as best it could, however nothing but a spewing mess of asphyxiation could be heard. The King Undead rolled his eyes and released his hand just ever so slightly, letting fresh air to enter the larynx of the goat Undead. "Answer. Who's the bitch?"

     The spiraled horned Undead did as best as it could between its gurgling, "I'm. The. Bitch."

     "You're the bitch, what?"

     "I. Am. The. Bitch. Sire."

     "Good." The King threw his bitch onto the floor with an audible thud.

     He sat back at the table, the spectators who had been seated at the table with him all just dismissed the king's actions. To them, this wasn't a new spectacle, it was a common occurrence to anyone who had known the King of Monsters. His temper always ran amuck when dealing with those he deemed weaker than himself. Of course in his opinion he had every right to, for he was the King of Spades. He hailed from the kingdom of monsters, who's sole creed was that only the strongest deserved to survive and that the weak only existed as fodder for the strong.

     "There have been dozens of queens before you, BUT I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN KING. AND YOU WILL ALWAYS BE MY BITCH."

     Once the spectacle was finished, the meeting had continued and adjourned as it usually went: boringly.

000

     An orange hand reached out to get the attention of the King of Spades. Before it could land on the King, the King spoke out in annoyance, "What?"

     "I know you want to leave as soon as possible, but Solaria and Goldwellyn has something they want to share with all of the Kings. That obviously includes me and you," voiced a black, purple, and orange colored Undead. It had two large spider-like legs protruding from each of its shoulders, for a total of four legs. Most of its armor was black, except for its left limbs which was similar to an orange and black leopard print and underneath the armor its flesh were a deep purple. Its face was difficult to discern due to the fact that a nigh translucent burgundy hood covered its face. On its chest were three circles that were touching each other, making the design of a clover.

     "They want to speak to us? And this wasn't something that they could've wasted my time at this boring ass meeting that they had to bring it up now? Just to waste even more of my time?"

     "Well, you know how it is." The spider Undead paused and glanced around for a second, "No one trusts Toffee."

     The two kings stared at each other. They had shared a history of nearly twenty millenia. Both of them fought together and against each other; neither ever failed to meet the other with matching wit and power. There was a sense of mutual respect between them, and if circumstances were different, one may have said that the two were friends.

     "Fuck. Fine, Lucitor, let's get it over with."

     "You really picked up on this world's colorful language immediately didn't you?" Dave Lucitor chuckled at his old rival.

     "Seriously? You're gonna give me a lecture?"

     "I am a teacher after all." The spider Undead King continued to chuckle at the expense of the golden Undead King.

     The King of Spades stopped in his tracks, shocked. "Who in their right mind would trust you with children?"

     The King of Clubs cocked his head towards the other king, "They trust me with you don't they? HA-HA!"

     "-ARGH- You mother fucker!"

000

     Dave Lucitor sat at a corner table in a rustic looking restaurant. He had a slice of pizza in hand dripping with cheese and grease. Seated next to him were three other figures.

     "Is this what... peasants... eat?" a voiced in concern from a red haired woman.

     Mr. Lucitor swallowed his bite of pizza and responded, "They're not peasants. Apparently, there is no caste system on this world."

     A long bearded man double fisted multiple pieces of pizza into his mouth. Speaking as he munched on the New York style pizza, "This is wonderful! Oh-ho-ho-ho! -Ohm nom NOM- Mmm! What did these people call this dish again?"

     Mr. Lucitor wiped his lips and answered the portly bearded man, "Pizza. It consists of coagulated dairy from a bovine creature topped with a variety of different ingredients. This is what they call a supreme pizza, a little bit of everything these Earthlings have to offer."

     A golden and orange haired young man flicked off the mushrooms off of his slice of pizza. "I still prefer Mewni corn." He eyed his fellow kings as he reluctantly bit into his pizza. "Is there actually something important to talk about or was that just an excuse to see me humiliate myself with you lot? I do have more important things to deal with."

     The other three kings stopped with their meal before bursting out in laughter.

     "What do you have that is more important than spending time with old… friends?" Dave asked.

     The red haired woman cut her pizza into tiny tidbits before using her fork to eat; before she followed up Dave's teasing, "Yes, pray tell. What do you have to do that is so important? Nothing. Correct?"

     "It's better than spending time with you Solara."

     "Heh, you wound me." Solara pretended to be stabbed in the chest.

     With grease running down his white beard, the older looking king reprimanded Solara and Dave, "Now, now. Leave the child alone."

     "CHILD?! I am older than you! You damn old fart." Though the multi-colored haired man looked young, he was in fact the oldest at the table. He was the King of Spades, the King of Monsters; and he had lived countless lifetimes before their immortality.

     Dave was glad that he sat next to the Monster King, just for an occasion like this. He had to put a hand on the Monster King's shoulder to prevent him from jumping across the table and strangling Goldwellyn's neck. Not that the King of Diamonds couldn't protect himself, but Dave often enjoyed walking to 'Emilio's' and causing a spectacle would prevent any future visits.

     Solara stabbed her fork into the wooden table, catching the attention of the male kings. "Let's get on with it before we fail to kill each other."

     "Very well." The King of Diamonds wiped his beard of pizza grease. He straightened out his saffron jacket and pushed his square glasses on his nose. It wasn't like the King of Hearts frightened him. Goldwellyn Johansen knew that nothing but a giant mess would come from their dispute; and a fight wasn't what he was here for. Plus, it was always more fun to not give the King of Spades what he wanted. "I've been going through the fascinating research information that Toffee has provided us. Myself and Solara have noticed something in particular…"

     Solara Butterfly pushed her long bangs behind her right ear, resting against her short hair. "Yes. I might even say disturbing."

     The King of Spades sighed and rolled his eyes, "What could be, so disturbing?"

     "Goldwellyn? Could you elaborate?" asked Dave Lucitor.

     "These projects that Toffee and his Mew-Shocker organization are working on consist of… experimentation."

     The King of Spades lashed out in irritation, "Tell me something we don't know! We all had a good guess as to who Toffee's master was. Like it wasn't obvious with Shocker in the name. It isn't like their agenda would be any different from when we fought them last."

     "That's not the problem," Goldwellyn squeezed the bridge of his nose. "The problem comes from the fact that these experiments involve… Mewmen."

     Both Dave and the King of Spades shared a look of shock. This information shouldn't be possible. At least not when according to their knowledge. Everything they had known was lost during the previous Battle Royal.

     The bearded King continued, "To be specific… those who have Mewmen lineage."

     "What does that mean Goldwellyn?" Dave inquired.

     "I'll answer that." Solara spoke up, "It means that there are humans who have a Mewman ancestor. From what we could tell, Toffee and his organization are gathering those who have strong Mewman blood in their veins."

     "Where did they come from? It shouldn't be possible. The Mewman race shouldn't have survived." Dave had a look of deep shame. "They… We… sacrificed all of them."

     Unexpectedly the King of Spades begun to laugh. The three other Kings shared a look of confusion on their faces as the King of Spades uncontrollably laughed. As the King of Monsters got up from his seat, Solara's look of confusion turned into a death stare. Out of everyone who had gone through the ordeal of the previous Battle Royal, only the King of Monsters savored it. He always found it to be a point of no contention; he thrived on conflict and it didn't matter to him as to how it happened.

     Solara asked in disgust, "What is so funny? Do you find humor in the loss of our kingdoms? Our people?"

     The King of Blades halted his laughter, "The strong survive." His eyes glowed red, "And the weak die. It was the same the first time around, it was the same then, and it will be the same when the end comes. Whatever Toffee is doing has nothing to do with me. Especially now that you've given me this information. I actually now have something to do."

     Dave cocked his head at the red-eyed King and demanded an answer, "What are you going to do?"

     The King of Spades' crimson jacket whisked behind him as he turned towards the exit of the pizza parlor. He rushed to leave as he now had a more important matter to attend to. This new information could only mean one thing he speculated.

     Dave continued to demand from the leaving King of Spades, "Where are you going?!"

     The bell above the exit rang as the King of Spades opened the door. He turned his head slightly to look back and respond with a wide toothed grin, "To find my heir. Ka-ka-kah!"

     There was a silence amongst the seated kings. A cold autumn wind swept into the restaurant as the door shut itself behind the King of Spades.


	22. Episode 07 - Chapter 03

Hoshi no Kirifuda  
Episode 07 - Chapter 03

Disclaimer:  
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred. These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes.

Author's Notes:

Hey look it's a note that isn't on the first chapter of an episode. I wanted to address something in the last chapter. Goldwellyn is an original character. However, that only happened because the Johansen family doesn't have a family tree that I can look up names on it. If you're wondering where the name comes from it is kind of pulled from Kamen Rider Blade. See, the original King of Diamonds is named Kanai. Which roughly translates into "gold well," and you can see the connection there.

Please keep the reviews coming, especially if it is constructive.

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     "Marco… Wake up…" Star whispered.

     It had been a long night of movie marathons. The three teens had gone through all of the movies and fell asleep in the living room. Both Star and Janna had shared the couch, and Marco had opted to sleep on the floor.

     Marco stirred to Star nudging him, and he rubbed his eyes. "-Yawn- What?"

     Star gave him a look of annoyance and lightly hissed, "What else?"

     He pulled his phone out and looked at the time, it was just a quarter til midnight. "Do we have to? Let's just go back to sleep, we can catch it tomorrow."

     "Marco, if you're not going, then I'll go alone," Star had a semblance of worry in her whispers. "We can't let that other Rider beat us to the punch."

     The drowsy boy pulled off his blanket and slowly got up, "Fine. I can't leave you alone."

     The two did their best to quietly leave the house without a noise. They didn't want to risk waking up Janna. However, little did they know that the Filipino girl had been awake the whole night thinking of a certain caramel boy with a beauty mark.

000

     Star picked up the sealed Undead card, it was the Five of Hearts: DRILL. Surprisingly the fight wasn't that difficult. Between Marco and Star they had both defeated the Undead with ease. Marco had finished it off with his sword imbued with electricity and it was over for the mollusk Undead. However, that was the easy part; the difficult portion came from the beanie wearing girl who blankly stared in slackjaw.

     "WHAT?! WAS THAT?!" Janna demanded as she pointed at the spectacle.

     Marco had left his armored state and facepalmed himself as he realized that of course Janna had followed them and had seen the whole thing. He pondered as to how he was going to explain the situation to the girl and get her to keep her mouth shut. More importantly, as to how he was going to be able to prevent the girl from blackmailing him.

     Marco mumbled, "Janna… -Ugh- How much did you see?"

     "Everything."

     Star followed Marco and stepped out of her armor. She was too excited about the new card and hadn't registered Janna's presence yet. It wasn't until Marco started shouting at Star to get her attention that she looked up from the newly sealed Undead that she noticed the brown-eyed girl.

     "Oh, hi Janna. Did we wake you up?" Star waved politely at the girl.

     "That's all you have to say?!" Marco nearly pulled out his hair. "Janna just saw us fighting Undead!"

     Star rolled her eyes, "And?"

     "She knows our secret!"

     "What secret?"

     "The Undead!"

     "Who said it was a secret?" Star just shook her head at the confused look of Marco. "Does Janna knowing what we're doing prevent us from sealing the Undead? Does it stop us in anyway?"

     Exasperated, Marco replied, "I guess not? No."

     "Good. Now be a good squire and answer Janna's questions. She looks like she's still in shock." Star pointed at the babbling brunette before she turned around and headed back home.

000

     "And that's the gist of it? Did I miss anything Star?"

     "I don't know Marco. Do you think I pay more attention than you?"

     "Touché."

     It had taken a bit of time for them to make it back home, so Marco had taken the opportunity to explain everything that he could recall from the past week to Janna about Star's mission, the Undead, and the Battle Royal. It was a lot of information to take in but Janna relatively took it well, too well. She might as well be as excited about the news as Star was. They had been caught in the act and he had no choice but to explain. Star may have been right that Janna knowing this information might not actually affect her mission, but Marco still saw it as problematic. In his opinion, the less people who knew what was going on the better. Upon arriving home, Marco had been fiddling with his house keys looking for the right one to open the front door when Janna stepped in between him and the door.

     "Don't worry, I got this." Janna took out another key and opened the door with ease.

     "Again?! How many copies do you have?"

     "That's a silly question Marco," Janna winked at the boy, "One that you'll never have an answer to."

     "-Ugh- Just kill me now…"

     "A squire is not allowed to die with its master's permission, Marco." Star sternly reprimanded Marco.

     "It was a joke Star."

     Star had a kept her stern look, "Death isn't funny."

     "I'm sorry Star," Marco apologised. "It's been a long night... And I still have karate lessons in the morning," he dreaded.

     "And I still have questions," Janna interjected.

     "Sorry Janna." Marco closed the door behind the girls before joining them at the couch. He sat between the two girls, and he was too busy to notice that both girls had gotten awfully close to him. Or was it that he was becoming quite accustomed to the breach of personal space?

     "Okay, so… Star here is actually a princess from another world?" Janna asked for redundancy.

     "Yes, I am. Haven't I been saying that since the beginning?"

     "You have, it's just hard to believe. I mean if a stranger came out of nowhere and declared himself as king of another world, would you believe it?"

     "Yeah, I mean why not?"

     "I… don't… know..." Janna realised that her sense of logic wouldn't be something that Star would ever relate to. 'I guess Star does already come from another planet. With talks of magic and monsters, I guess it wouldn't be implausible with Star's logic.'

     "It is just easier to just accept it Janna. It took me a while to wrap my head around it, but I just took it for face value. Star isn't someone who'd lie or make up stories," Marco reassured.

     "No... I get it." Janna decided to just move along, "But both of you have the ability to transform into these Kamen Riders and fight monsters called Undead?"

     "Yes. That's the easy way to put it," Marco answered.

     Janna had a devilish grin, "Can I be one too?"

     "I don't think so? You've got to have one of these belt and buckles like me and Star has." Marco pointed out to his Blay Buckle.

     "Also, I don't think it would work for you Janna," Star added.

     Janna pouted, "And why is that?"

     Star scratched her head for a moment, pondering Janna's question. She wasn't entirely sure as to why Janna wouldn't be able to. In fact, before Marco, Star had always believed that only the Butterfly family had the ability to use the transformation devices.

     "Star? You have an answer?"

     "Nope. Gotta ask Glossaryck. For now it's just a gut instinct. Plus, she doesn't have a belt."

     Janna reached over to Marco's Blay Buckle and demanded, "Let me borrow yours!"

     Marco swatted the girl's hand away. "No, this isn't a toy to play around with."

     "Aw c'mon, let me try it out," Janna whispered into Marco's ear, "Or… I could just tell your parents everything."

     'And here comes the blackmailing.' Marco sighed, "We don't even know what would happen if you used it."

     "Then let's find out."

     "Star, what do you think? I would rather not have to explain to my parents that we're fighting monsters," Marco begged Star for an answer. "They'd probably stop us from continuing. At the very least me from helping you. And then I'd get grounded for endangering you. And then-"

     "Fine." Star relented. "She can try it with yours. But she's not touching mine."

     Marco stood up and unbuckled his belt and handed it to Janna. "If it'll shut you up about it, here."

     Janna greedily took the buckle from his hands. "Oh, c'mon Marco. If I told your parents, then I'd never be able to keep your secret."

     'This is a bad idea,' Marco told himself. He covered his face with his hands before mumbling to Janna, "Let's do this outside. I rather not have to clean up a mess here."

000

     "Now remember to follow my instructions," Marco commanded Janna.

     She rolled her eyes at the boy, "I heard you the first ten times. I just have to put on the buckle, put this card into it, and pull the lever."

     "Make sure you also say HENSHIN and go through the transformation wall."

     "Yeah, yeah."

     Janna licked her lips as she put on the belt buckle. The Blay Buckle and belt rested on her hips, surprisingly it wasn't too heavy. She thought that with its size and hefty look, it would feel much more of a hinderance. Next she inserted the Ace of Spade card into the buckle and pulled the lever.

     With much enthusiasm Janna yelled, "HENSHIN!"

     "TURN UP" the buckle's announcement followed.

     A blue translucent wall of energy appeared in front of Janna. 'This must be the wall that Marco was talking about. I just have to walk-'

     Janna attempted to step through it, but the wall rejected and threw her backwards with a shock. She landed in the dirt, as the wall of blue energy dissipated. Immediately, both Marco and Star rushed to her side.

     "JANNA! Are you okay?!" Marco screamed at the girl.

     "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry Janna, I had no idea that would happen!" Star apologised.

     Janna sat up and shook her head. "-Ugh- Fuck. My head. What the fuck happened?"

     In that instant a glowing miniature blue man appeared to answer Janna's question. "Obviously the buckle rejected the girl."

     "Glossaryck!" Star vehemently dictated for an elaboration, "Where have you been?! And why did that happen to Janna?"

     Glossaryck exhaled, "Good day to you too Princess. But like I said, the Blay Buckle rejected the girl."

     "You alright Janna?" Marco helped the girl up.

     She held him close to her as he attempted to lift her up. "Carry me in your big strong arms, that'll make me feel better. Ha-ha."

     "You're well enough I see." He put an arm underneath her bum and picked up the girl maiden style. "Let's get inside and see if you broke anything."

     Both Glossaryck and Star followed the two into the house. Star concerned for her friend and Glossaryck just indifferent as usual.

000

     Marco had just finished examining Janna. It didn't look like the girl was injured in anyway, but being the worrywort he was, he wouldn't rule out any sort of injury.

     "You can stop Safe Kid. I'm fine." Janna shoved the boy away. She considered letting the boy fawn over her some more, but he was just too overbearing. She wanted him to want her, not just take care of her like a mother hen. "Just my pride is hurt. But... I'll take a Tylenol."

     "Just wait here. I'll be right back." Marco rushed to the kitchen to find the medicine cupboard.

     Janna clicked her tongue and pointed at the blue man. "So, this is the great Glossaryck?"

     "Pointing is rude young lady. However, you are correct. I am Sir Glossaryck of Terms." He offered the girl a slight courtesy bow. "And you are Janna Ordonia, otherwise known as Janna Banana. And you have a thing for a certain boy named..." He gave Janna a wink, "Mar-"

     The girl leapt out of the couch and attempted to silence the tiny man. She missed as Glossaryck easily floated out of the way. Having missed her target, Janna crashed into the coffee table, knocking off the remaining snacks.

     "HUSH!" Janna swatted towards Glossaryck's direction. "How do you know that?"

     He grinned at the flustered girl, "I just do."

     Upon returning Marco saw that Janna had made a mess. "What the hell Janna?"

     "Nothing happened!"

     Glossaryck kept his lips sealed in a wry smile.

     "-Sigh- Whatever. We went outside so I wouldn't have to clean up. But fuck me right? Here." He handed her a glass a water and a few pills. "Sit down and rest. I'll clean up."

     Star had returned from the bathroom to see Marco picking up the mess off of the floor. "What happened?"

     Marco put the trash into a garbage bag as he picked up the snacks that were on the floor. "Apparently, nothing." He raised an eyebrow towards Janna.

     "Okay… So, Glossaryck, you were gonna explain about Janna?"

     He stroked his beard, "Hmm… was I? I don't recall saying anything about that. I don't remember promising that I would explain. I've told you that the buckle rejected her. That's all."

     "You're seriously going to just leave us hanging here? We deserve an explanation," Star huffed.

     "You deserve nothing. The buckles are not toys. You two have them for a reason. So, take this as a warning. Do not let anyone else use them. Who knows what will happen next time. Janna got off lightly as far as I can tell, she's lucky."

     After picking up the last potato chip off the floor, Marco asked, "Then why is there another Rider?"

     Glossaryck visibly flinched, "Another Rider?"

     "Yeah Glossaryck, we saw someone else in Rider gear last night," Star added.

     "Interesting. I have no clue, but if you'll excuse me." He hurriedly floated away, an unusual look of discontent on his face as he exited out of the room.

     "No answer, nothing new I guess." Marco yawned, "We should go to sleep. I still have lessons in the morning. We should get some rest after what just happened."

     The two other girls caught the boy's yawn and followed suit. They all agreed with his statement, rest would be the best thing for all of them right now. Janna laid down on the couch as both Marco and Star went to their rooms.


	23. Episode 08 - Chapter 01

Hoshi no Kirifuda  
Episode 08 - Chapter 01

Disclaimer:  
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred. These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes.

Author's Notes:

I got this out on time! Give or take… I hope you all enjoy this episode. I really think it is much of an improvement compared to the last one. I actually took time to go through it.

Reviewer's Responses:

Parkermon

Please keep the reviews coming, especially if it is constructive.

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     The clear night sky glittered with stars. In a field of red roses meditated Marco Diaz; his mind was calm and his spirit tempered. Here, in his inner sanctuary it lacked the noises of the outside world. Marco drank the tranquility of the peace he had attained, but the accustomed taste of peace and quiet left a yearning for more. He had tended to his inner sanctuary for years, satiated by the calm it brought to him. However due to his recent experiences with Star, the adrenaline and adventure of being a Kamen Rider has brought something new to the boy. It was then in his meditation that the standard lack of noise was interrupted by discernable footsteps. Marco opened his eyes and surveyed the field of flowers to see nothing there, but the footsteps encroached closer and closer. Someone or something had invaded his inner space, and it had Marco vexed that he couldn't see the intruder. His head dashed to and fro; left and right; up and down; but still no sign of the trespasser made itself evident.

     Marco clenched his fists and yelled into the darkness, "Who the fuck is messing with me?! This is _my_ world and I demand that _you_ leave!"

     A disembodied voice laughed in amusement of Marco's attempt at intimidation. Cold air wisped itself through Marco's world. The color of his painstakingly grown flowers began to drain as they wilted. Even through his sweater Marco felt the drop in temperature. This began to worry Marco as his displeasure of the intruder slowly became panic. This was his mindscape, but it was apparent with the rapid changes to the landscape that he was no longer in control.

     His clenched hands dug into his flesh, as he attempted to calm himself once more. 'This is my world and it is _mine_ to control.'

     "Yours? **Correct**. This is _your_ world," the disembodied voice answered Marco's inner thoughts. "And only _you_ have control over _your_ world."

     Marco gulped, as the footsteps never ceased, closer and closer they echoed in the mindscape. He was finally able to ascertain where the footsteps came from, the source of the steps came from behind him. A chill ran down his neck as he felt the intruder breathe down it. He stood there frozen in his own mind. The frightened boy couldn't see the intruder, and yet he could feel the sensation of a hand slowly descending itself on his shoulder. Saliva pooled up in the back of Marco's throat. With every ounce of his mental fortitude he could muster, Marco forced himself to turn around before the hand could reach its destination.

     "Huh?" Marco was confused as he expected to see the trespasser, instead he was met with roses.

     Everything was back to how it once was. Not a single flower was out of place and the intruder's presence was gone. Marco brought his shaking hands to his face to wipe away the tears of fear that had pooled in his eyes. He looked up to see the myriads of orange and red creep over the horizon as a new dawn approached.

000

     Marco stirred from his sleep. He felt the sickly as cold sweat clung to his skin. His entire body felt heavy as if something laid on top of him.

     'Wait a minute…' Marco thought to himself as he forced his eyelids open.

     It wasn't just his imagination, something was on top of him; to be specific, someone. Laying on top of his chest was the head of a Filipino brunette. Janna silently slept on top of Marco, the only thing separating the two was his military olive green blanket. He sighed to himself, 'What is this girl thinking? Doesn't she ever think about the consequences? -sigh-'

     He reached out under his blanket with the intent on moving the girl gently off of himself. However, as he did, his hands noticed what was hidden from his view. He felt through her thin tee and noticed that she lacked the straps to her bra. His sighs were slowly becoming more ragged as his teenage hormones kicked in. His hands grew bold as they slowly roamed the girl's body. His fingers caressed the small of her back. After all the years growing up with Janna, he never noticed how small her back was. It was off putting for the boy. He was used to her rowdiness, confidence, and in-your-face attitude. To not just see, but feel the girl's vulnerability was an astonishment. His hands continued down the girl but abruptly stopped as they reached the top of her panty. He gulped and pulled his hands free from roaming any further before he got into any more trouble.

     "You don't have to stop," Janna muttered at the boy.

     Marco jerked beneath Janna in surprised. "Heh. Uhm… how long have you been awake?"

     "I've been up before you. I… just wanted to lay here." The girl pressed her face deeper into the chest of the boy.

     "Janna…"

     "And like I said, you didn't have to stop. If you want… you can continue. It felt really nice."

     "I... shouldn't."

     Janna pulled her face off the boy into a sitting position. She revealed herself wearing nothing but her usual green t-shirt and a small glimpse of red striped panties. The thin t-shirt tightly held itself against Janna's frame. For the first time, Marco noticed the girl's budding curves. As always her frame was slender, but he could tell that the start of womanhood started to fill in all the right places on the girl. If Janna's mother was of any indication, then the girl would probably follow suit and grow up to be a very buxom woman. Marco could easily indicate where the girl's nipples were from the way they jutted every so slightly against the thin fabric.

     "Your parents aren't home Marco, out like every weekend. And there isn't anyone else here. Let's just enjoy ourselves," the girl seductively whispered out to the boy.

     He could feel his turgid member pressed against the warmth of Janna's bum. The girl purposely pressed herself against it. However, he had already made the mistake in giving into temptation earlier and he wasn't going to make the same decision twice.

     "There's Star," he corrected Janna.

     "Forget her."

     "Janna. This isn't right."

     She coyly smiled at the boy. "That didn't stop you earlier."

     "That… was… -sigh- a mistake. I shouldn't have taken advantage of the situation."

     "Just. Do it. Do what feels good. I can tell from your sword here that you really want to," Janna pleaded to Marco. However, the look of shame didn't leave the boy's face; and the seductive look on Janna slowly filled with frustration. She was beginning to realize that Marco was going to do as he always did, push her away. 'Does he not know how fucking humiliating this is?'

     He looked straight into her eyes. "Please, get off of me. I shouldn't have done what I did. And… you shouldn't have been in my room. Please."

     Tears welled up in Janna's eyes as she struggled to not cry in front of Marco. "Fine. Whatever Diaz. Not my fault that you lost your chance. Fuck it."

     Janna pushed herself up and away from the cold boy. She quickly grabbed her yellow skirt, her jacket, and boots from the foot of the bed and rushed out of the room. Her tears begun to drip from her eyes. The girl sniffled as she quickly put on her things. She didn't want to be anywhere near Marco at the moment.

     "Janna?"

     The crying girl looked up to see who it was, as what remained of her make-up dripped along with her tears. She saw Star, still in her lavender pajamas, who had a look of concern on her face. The blonde had her hand reaching out for Janna.

     Janna seethed, "Don't. Touch. Me."

     Star retracted her hand as if in fear that Janna may bite it. She could feel the hostility rising from the girl like it was the heat of a volcano. She had no idea what happened and was worried for the crying girl. However, before she could get an answer from Janna, the crying girl got up from tying her boots and slammed the front door on Star.

     Star absentmindedly walked up the stairs towards Marco's room. Each step on the stairs burgeoned with dread. Upon reaching the top, she noticed that Marco's door was open and politely knocked on it.

     "Marco?"

     There was a pause before the boy responded. "Yes, Star?"

     "Janna just left."

     "I heard."

     The blonde girl excused herself as she entered the boy's room. "Did… something happen?"

     Marco was still laying on his bed. "I- yes- I- Did something."

     Star walked over to Marco's desk and pointed at his chair. "Do you mind if I sit down?"

     He looked over to Star. "Hmm? No. If you want."

     "Do you want to talk about it?"

     Another pause. "I don't know."

     "What did you do to Janna?"

     And another pause. "I- I think… I hurt her."

     "You _think_ you hurt her?"

     Marco laid there and pondered. This time the quiet settled itself before Marco decided to speak up. "No. I definitely hurt her."

     Star scooted her seat closer to Marco. She saw the agony on the boy's face. He had done something to Janna and was struggling with the guilt.

     "Do you want to tell me what you did?"

     "I… don't think I'm ready yet."

     Marco was afraid to tell Star what had occurred between himself and his childhood friend. Moreso, he was afraid to completely admit his guilt. He knew that the entire situation wasn't his fault, but that didn't take away from the fact that he had taken advantage of the situation and of the girl's feelings for him. As much as he may pretend to feign ignorance of Janna's feelings for him, Marco wasn't oblivious to it. It was almost a year ago when he noticed the girl's change in her presence. Her behavior hadn't radically changed, but he could tell that Janna had been putting more effort into catching his attention. He honestly wanted to address the matter earlier, but he didn't know what to tell the girl without ruining a lifelong friendship. So, he just let her continue with her shenanigans, but the problem came when they started to escalate. It also didn't help that deep down inside, he could feel himself beginning to enjoy the girl's attention. This morning was the culmination of all of that. He had let her do as she wished for too long and his own physical yearnings led to a moment of weakness. A moment that he instantly regretted. Incidentally creating the problem he wanted to avoid in the first place.

     Star waited to hear more from Marco, but he continued to lay there staring at the ceiling. "Okay then. I don't know what happened. But, I'm here if you want to talk about it. Maybe I can help fix things between you two?" She gave Marco a half smile and tried to reassure him.

     "Thanks Star. I… need a shower and time to think about this before I… Before I can talk about it."

     Marco didn't look over as Star got up from her seat, quietly left the room, and closed the door behind her. The lonely boy stood up from his bed, and then he noticed a familiar object on the floor. In her scurry, Janna must've left her beanie behind. He looked at it and hung his head in guilt and shame. "I really fucked up," Marco heavily sighed.


	24. Episode 08 - Chapter 02

Hoshi no Kirifuda  
Episode 08 - Chapter 02

Disclaimer:  
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred. These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes.

Author's Notes:

Please keep the reviews coming, especially if it is constructive.

000000

     "Diaz! Come see me after class." Sensei Brantley had a look of disappointment.

     Marco took a deep breath before responding, "Hai Sensei!"

     Marco had just finished his weekly karate class. However, unlike usual where he would be proud of himself after completion, today he was anything but. He hadn't been focusing all morning and had performed several embarrassing mistakes. Things that a green belt like himself should never had done. It was like his first day in the dojo all over again. But, there was a bright side to things. Star had tagged along, curious as to what kind of training Marco had received to be what she called formidable. Even with all of today's embarrassing moments, the blonde girl did nothing but cheer him on all day. Her cheery disposition kept his spirit up just enough to also experience the guilt that he probably deserve the girl's praises today.

     'If Star only knew… She wouldn't have even bothered to look at me today. Hell, if I was Star, I'd have left already in disgust. I don't deserve a girl like Star- I mean I don't deserve a friend like Star,' Marco internally monologued.

     Star had been sitting on the sidelines watching Marco all morning in his class. She wasn't entirely impressed with the instructions. However, there was a certain charm that the class offered that Star couldn't resist but enjoy. Most of the participants all had their energy poured into their screams and shouts. The only exception was Marco. He had bumbled quite a bit today. Marco had fallen over another student; he accidentally kicked another instructor in the groin; and he had just a general feel of clumsiness today. Star knew that he had been dwelling on what had happened between himself and Janna. She kept a bright smile on her face, as she tried her best to keep her own energy up to cheer the boy on.

     Marco walked up to Star, "Hey, can you wait a moment? Sensei wanted to talk to me before we can go get some food."

     "No worries Marco it's not like I'm that hungry." Star spoke too soon as a rumble could be heard from the pit of her stomach.

     Marco chuckled, "Okay, I'll try to make it quick. Be right back."

000

     Marco was in the back office, he sat down on the orange faux leather couch waiting for his Sensei. The room wasn't a mess, but not what you would call clean. There was a small wooden coffee table in front of the couch. There was also Sensei's favorite reclining chair, it was old but after the years of use by Sensei, he claimed that it was the perfect fit. Resting on top of the recliner were a few shirts and a pair of pants. Against the wall was a mounted television hooked up to a Playstation 4. The room itself though labeled as the office was more of a man cave.

     "Diaz. Sorry for making you wait." Sensei Brantley bowed slightly in apologization. "I know your girlfriend is here waiting for you and all."

     "My- My girlfriend? Star? N- No, we're not like that. She's just, just a friend."

     Sensei gave Marco a raised eyebrow, but he didn't push the matter. "I still apologize for taking your time. But enough of that. Do you know why I asked to see you?"

     "I have a guess…"

     "Normally, I wouldn't say anything about mistakes. You're only human. But, in my dojo, I won't condone a lack of effort."

     "I'm sorry Sensei."

     "Do you want to talk about it?"

     Marco face his sensei a confused look, "Huh?"

     "Look Diaz, I know you're a good kid, and you work harder than anyone else in the dojo. But today you weren't all here. I don't know what had you distracted, but it looked troubling." Sensei Brantley sat in his chair and reached out to clasp Marco's shoulder. "Whatever is troubling you, I'm your sensei, and more importantly your friend."

     "Thanks Sensei." Marco looked up to his mentor. "But, this is something I have to deal with alone. I messed up really badly. And I've got to be the one to fix it."

     "You had a fight with your girlfriend?"

     Marco dumbfoundedly stared at his sensei, surprised at how close he was to the mark. It were times like these when his mentor had the insight to know the situation that always startled Marco. The older man had been an older brother figure for Marco who had grown up as an only child. As such he always came to his sensei for life advice. However, this was the only time he had decided against asking the man for advice. Marco was afraid of what his mentor might say.

     "No Sensei, she's not my girlfriend."

     "Ah… but it is a woman."

     Marco cringed as Sensei Brantley was on the mark. "Is it that obvious?"

     Sensei Brantley laughed, "Oh-ha-ha! Kid, I've been around the block quite a few times. And let's just say I've had enough experience to see the obvious. Hell, I may have even been in your shoes once before."

     "Oh…" A sullen look offer on the boy's face.

     Sensei studied his student's face and decided that it would be best to wait until the boy was ready to talk about it. "It's alright Diaz. I think that's enough, for now."

     "Huh?" Marco scratched his head.

     "I'm dropping the matter. For now." The older man gave the troubled boy a heavy pat on the back. "Whatever it is, I want you to get over it. You won't be able to make it up to whoever it is, if you're down in the dumps. And… I also need you in top condition. In two weeks we'll be having a sparring match against the Kobras. You're my top student, but if you can't get out of this funk, I'll give the anchor position to Jeremy instead."

     That name registered with Marco. He had a rivalry of sorts with Jeremy. The kid came from a wealthy family and rubbed it in the faces of everyone. He was just unbearably annoying. Marco didn't hate the kid, but he definitely wanted to put Jeremy in his place.

     The fire sparked back into Marco's eyes. "No, Sensei. I've got this."

     "Then prove it, you got until next week."

     Marco stood up and gave his sensei a bow. "HAI! SENSEI!"

     "THAT'S THE SPIRIT DIAZ! Now get out of here! Don't keep a lady waiting for too long."

000

     Marco came running out of the dojo where Star had been waiting. "I'm sorry that took longer than expected."

     Star flashed him a smile, "Nah, I'm sure he had something important to tell you. Did you work it out?"

     "Yeah… Talking to Sensei helped like always."

     "I'm jealous."

     "Of what?"

     Star reached up to the boy's hood and pulled down on it to cover his face. "That I wasn't the one who helped you."

     Marco struggled to pull his hood off, and when he did manage to, he saw Star's smile falter a bit. "Hey, don't write yourself off, you've been great help. Who else was there to cheer me on all day? You. I wouldn't have been able to get through today without you. Honestly. Now, c'mon, let's go get food. Anything you want."

     Star's smile brightened a bit at Marco's comment. The pair got on top of the bike, before Marco began pedaling towards the mall.

000

     "Uh… Star, would you look at that?" Marco had stopped mid-pedal as the two teens had decided to take a shortcut through the park.

     "What am I looking at?"

     "What do you see?"

     Star sounded irritated at Marco's vagueness. "I see nothing Marco." She was a terrible combination of both hungry and angry. "I see a bunch of trees and a whole lot of nothing."

     "Exactly."

     "I don't get it. Am I missing something?"

     "Star, you're not missing something. The park is missing something." Marco continued pedaling at a slow pace.

     "-Argh- I'm tired of this game Marco, just tell me already." She shook him from behind.

     "I can't pedal well if you're shaking me. Do you want to fall off?"

     "Then get on with it and tell me what is going on."

     The boy pointed out to the familiar landscape of the park. "Star, didn't we just fight here a few days ago? What happened to all that damage?"

     Now that the boy had mentioned it, Star noticed that no evidence of their battle remained. More than that, everything looked like how it was always was before their meeting with the Deer Undead and Hawk Undead. Star now recalled all of the destruction the two had left in their wake. Trees were uprooted, the Earth was carved up, and the land was was scorched. But as the two teens looked at the landscape, neither could figure out what had happened to all of that damage. It was as if it never happened at all.

     As Marco continued pedaling towards the mall, both teens had kept quiet in their own thoughts.

000

     Star was running around and dragging Marco by his hood to and from each store. This was the first time she'd ever been to a mall. The excitable girl was enthralled with the all of the clothes and merchandise.

     "Star? Can you please let go of my hoodie? You're gonna stretch it out."

     "Heh. Sorry."

     "I know you're excited, but let's get some food first?" Marco pointed in the direction of the food court.

     "FOOD!" Again, Star grabbed onto Marco's hood and dragged him along.

     They eventually arrived in the food court after several distractions. Marco had to direct the girl multiple times. Not that he minded, it really helped the boy forget about what had happened that morning. He didn't want to forget about it, but he needed a distraction from the emotions he had felt and the pain he had dealt.

     Star having released his stretched out hood for the umpteenth time asked Marco, "Do they have corn here?"

     "Corn?"

     "Yeah! I consider myself a sort of corn connoisseur. Mewni has a slew of corn; each from different regions of the kingdom. So, today, I would like to try some Earth corn."

     "Uh… they have things made out of corn. But I don't think they have _corn_ corn here."

     Star disappointedly pouted, "Oh poo…"

     "Sorry. Another time, okay? I'll ask mom to see to pick some up the next time she goes out grocery shopping."

     "Okay…"

     "Cheer up. Just consider this a chance to try something that isn't corn."

     The blonde girl's cheery disposition returned at the thought of trying new foods. She had already been introduced to triangle food, what would be next?

     "Tesseract food?"

     "Wait… what?"

     Star elbowed Marco as if he was in on a joke, "Y'know, four dimensional food."

     "Star, you barely get by in regular math, how do you know what a tesseract is?"

     The girl just shrugged her shoulders, "Meh."

     "Well… I don't think four dimensional food exists. But there is Chinese. You can eat a mountain of it and yet still be hungry shortly later. No one knows how it works."

     Star tugged on Marco's sweater, "Ooo… Let's get that."


	25. Episode 08 - Chapter 03

Hoshi no Kirifuda  
Episode 08 - Chapter 03

Disclaimer:  
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred. These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes.

Author's Notes:

Please keep the reviews coming, especially if it is constructive.

000000

     Marco and Star had spent the entire night at the mall. Star had insisted on visiting every store. Their last stop for the night was Hot Topic. The mall was closing soon and Marco figured he'd be able to pull Star out of here more easily if this was the last stop. It wasn't like any of the other shops she'd already looked into. None of it were in anyway princessy. Unfortunately, Marco was very wrong.

     "Marco! Who are these men and why do they all have perfect complexion?" Star pointed at a poster that featured five young men in orange prison jumpsuits.

     The boy shyly looked around before answering the princess, "That's Love Sentence. They're a popular boy band here on Earth."

     "I likey. Especially the one in the middle. Dark red hair and green eyes. I want them as part of my royal consorts. Bring them to me!"

     Marco chuckled at the thought of Star in possession of a harem that consisted of the boy band. "No Star, that's not how any of this works."

     "I can't take them home with me?"

     "No. But.. let's get the next best thing."

     Marco perused through the multiple tubes of posters that laid in front of them until he found just the one. It was also a Love Sentence poster, but unlike the one that was on display, this one was ripped right off the cover of their '16 to Life' album. It prominently featured Justin Towers wearing a baby blue striped shirt with a broken red heart in the middle. While the rest of the band were also in casual attire.

     He handed Star the poster. "Here, we'll get this one. It's from my favorite album. I'm sure you'd like it too."

     A voice spoke from behind the two teens, "Oh Diaz, you're a Love Sentence fan too?"

     "I- I- I…" Marco turned around upon recognition of the voice, it was Jackie Lynn Thomas.

     Star waved at the new addition. "Hi Jackie!"

     "Hey Star, what are you two doing here?" Jackie politely waved back.

     "Marco was just showing me the wonderful place you all call the mall. Did you know this place existed? It's like an architectural marvel…" Star's eyes beamed in marvel.

     "Ch'yeah. The mall is a pretty cool place. You alright Diaz?"

     Marco looked like a deer caught in the headlights of a car. He hadn't expected anyone to catch him in front of anything Love Sentence. And the last person he would expect it to be was Jackie.

     Jackie nudged the babbling boy. "Earth to Marco. Just so you know the store is trying to close up. If you want that poster, you better hurry up."

     Finally snapping out of his stupor, the trio went up to the counter to pay for the merchandise. During this time Marco was still trying to process in his head how to make this moment any less awkward and less humiliating. But as expected, he was successfully doing the opposite. He gave the cashier the wrong amount of payment and kept apologizing to the cashier who looked like she just wanted them out of the store to close up. When he was able to give exact change and pay for it, they all were pushed out of the store. In his hands was the rolled up poster.

     The mall had started closing all of the shops. Only a few teenagers could be seen loitering around before security would come by and force everyone out. Marco quickly lead the girls out of the mall and towards his bike. It was a bit past ten o'clock at night and both he and Star had a bit of a bike ride before being able to make it home.

     "That was so fun Marco. We should come here again!" Star exclaimed.

     "Seems like you two had a fun day _together_ ," Jackie teased Marco. "And to think I was excited to see you, Marco."

     "Ex- Excited? ME?" The boy started to babble again.

     "Breathe Diaz."

     "-Ahem- Why were you looking for me?" Marco asked as he began to unchain his bike.

     Star squealed in the background as she danced with the poster Marco had just bought her.

     Jackie mischievously grinned at the boy. "I wasn't looking for you. I just happen to find you. And I wanted to give you an answer to your question from yesterday."

     Marco fiddled with the lock and dropped it onto the ground. "Uh… Right now?"

     "Yeah, right now. I figured, why not? I was going to wait until Monday, but this seemed easier. The sooner the better right?"

     The boy gulped in dread of what he was expecting to hear. "Okay… and?"

     "I asked my dad and he said he was cool with it. Plus, it seems like my boss gave me that day off, so no work." She could see the hope that appeared in the boy's eyes. "Yes, I'll go to the homecoming dance with you."

     Upon overhearing that, Star stopped in her tracks. Jackie pretended to not notice the other blonde.

     "You, you will?" Marco felt like hyperventilating. He hadn't felt any happier in his entire life.

     "Ch'yeah. It sounds like it could be fun, especially with _you_." Jackie winked at the boy.

     Marco didn't know how to respond. He remained silent as words of joy left his vocabulary.

     "Looks like cat's got your tongue. Heh. Well I have to get home soon before my dad throws a fit. So, I'll see you Monday." She gave him a hug before hopping on her skateboard. "Bye Star. Laters Diaz!"

     The two stood there and watched the cool Californian girl disappear beneath the lights of the parking lot. An awkward silence developed between the two remaining teenagers. Neither had been expecting the news Jackie had just delivered.

     Star finally broke the silence, "Uhm… what was that about?"

     Marco hid his eyes from Star. He had been so busy with the Janna problem that he had forgotten to tell Star. "I… asked Jackie out to the Homecoming dance yesterday at school."

     "That's the first time I've heard about this." Honestly she wasn't surprised. She had suspected something had occurred between the two at the end of the school day. However, not being surprised and not being disappointed were two different things. Star was honestly excited to participate in the Earth ball and she had hopes that Marco would be the one to take her.

     "Yeah. Sorry." Marco got on his bike and gestured to Star to get on.

     "Nah, don't be sorry. It's a good thing she said yes, right?" Star hid her pained heart behind a faux smile.

     "I can ask her to see if you can tag along? We can just go all together as friends?"

     Star piggybacked on the bike behind Marco, further hiding her face. "No. Don't do that. You've finally got a date with Jackie. It's not like I expected us to go together. You're not my only friend Marco Diaz."

     As he was pedaling home, he tried to turn his head back to look at Star. However, the girl forced his head forward.

     "Marco, you've got to pay attention. We don't want to crash into anything."

     The two remained silent on their way home. The day had started terrible for Marco, and though he received the best news he could from his crush, he felt like he had paid a terrible price for it. The boy felt like he hadn't just let one friend down today, but two.

000

     Behind the clouds was a full moon. It shone brightly guiding two teenagers home. However unbeknownst to them, a pair of red eyes watched them from afar. They glistened with anticipation.


	26. Episode 09 - Chapter 01

Hoshi no Kirifuda  
Episode 09 - Chapter 01

Disclaimer:  
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred. These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes.

Author's Notes:

None.

Reviewer's Response:

I am glad you are all enjoying my story. And I look forward to the dance also.

Also, I would like to respond to your reviews properly, so if you could leave names behind that would be great. But if you don't -shrugs- I can't really do anything about it.

Please keep the reviews coming, especially if it is constructive.

000000

     "Good day Star," politely waved Crescenta. "Or is it good evening? Oh-ho-ho! Oh-ho-ho!"

     Star scratched her head in confusion, "Queen Crescenta? What are you doing here? How can you be here?"

     "You tell me. Where do you believe this to be?" Crescenta smirked.

     Star looked around, clearly she was within the walls of Butterfly Castle. The walls were a dull salmon pink color, they were probably a pastel color in the past, but the years have worn the paint thin. At the top of a few steps, centered in the back were two vacant thrones. On the floor was a red carpet with golden diamonds designed into it. There were multiple mushroom shaped windows that let the moonlight in. The only other source of light were scattered candles that desperately flickered.

     "It looks like I'm home," Star responded.

     "How dreary looking. It reminds me of my mother's throne room. I never had the chance to decorate my own, but do you think all the past queens had the same interior designer?"

     "Wait, how am I here? How are _we_ here?" Star noticed her clothing, "What am I wearing?!" She was in a light blue and white dress, the sleeves were puffy and a matching blue ribbon hung from her waist.

     "Oh-ho-ho! You look lovely dear." Crescenta tried to cover her mirth behind her gloved hands. "We are both in the apparent throne room of your apparent parents. And as much as I find this informative, if you could, please take us to somewhere a bit more comfortable to discuss?"

     "Take us? How? Am I supposed to ride a bike? Because Marco still haven't taught me the magic words for his invisible goat yet."

     "Dear, I know you're a bit dense at times, but could you please catch up? We are currently in a place where we can't be. I am here when I should be sealed away. Now, unless I'm wrong there should only be one way this is possible."

     Star nearly smacked herself for the revelation, "Oh… I get it. This is a dream…"

     Crescenta sighed, "Yes it is. It is _your_ dream. Now, take me somewhere… Less dreary and gaudy."

     "Can I?" Star held her hands up and shrugged in uncertainty.

     Crescenta rolled her eyes at the teen girl. "Use your brain, use your mind, and imagine us somewhere more comfortable."

     Star did as she was directed. She closed her eyes and focused on a different place. Somewhere she was more comfortable. If she had them opened, she would've shared in Crescenta's spectacle as their surroundings melted and recreated itself around the two.

     Crescenta put a finger on her chin as her new location dawned on her, "Ah, I know this place."

     Star opened her eyes to see where she had taken the eager queen. To her amazement it was a place as close to home as the Butterfly Castle was in her heart. Both Star and Crescenta were standing in the dining room of the Diaz residence.

     "It was right here that you and that boy sealed me away. I stood there and you there." The queen painted the details as if Star hadn't been there. "My, what an interesting choice of scenery. It is almost like… you're limited in your scope."

     Star snapped at Crescenta's condescending tone, "Well excuse me, if you wanted to talk, I figured this would be the best for it."

     In her irritation, Star hadn't noticed that her royal outfit had also changed along with the environment. She was wearing her nightly outfit, the usual simple lavender dress with a pastel blue crescent moon on the chest. However, unlike the usual, on her head was the red horned headband Marco had given her. She was always careful to take it off before sleeping, as she didn't want to damage the boy's gift.

     "OH-HO-HO! Grown a backbone since we last spoke?"

     Star corrected herself upon realizing her tone, "I apologize for my rudeness."

     "Dear, you have nothing to be sorry about. I was never fond of the theatrics." The Undead queen walked over and sat herself at the dining table. "Now, come join me. You called me here and I have limited time."

     Star paused before she could seat herself across from the queen. " _I_ called _you_?"

     "Of course dear. How else do you think I was invited here? I have no ability to interfere with your dreams. I don't even know if that is possible. One has to be invited before one can enter."

     "Okay…" The young blonde teen sat down and corrected her nightgown. "Why did I call you?"

     "I haven't the faintest clue. All I heard was a cry for help, so I answered." The woman placed her palms together as if in a prayer. "Though, I didn't need to respond. I did so in curiosity."

     "Thank you, I guess?" timidly Star extended her appreciation. "But I don't know if I did."

     Crescenta rubbed her palms against another. "Well… I am here now. So, is there anything you would like to discuss? Has something happened lately that you would like to talk about? How is that boy? Your squire, Marco, was it?"

     Star's thoughts lingered on the boy's name for a moment. It was enough of a pause for Crescenta to understand exactly why she had been summoned.

     "Things… are good. Marco is good."

     "Good? My dear, you are simply so easy to read. And, you don't have to tell me anything, I have already seen everything. Ironically, you do realize that you utilize my Ace only second to my sister's Two. Which gives me quite a privy of knowledge."

     "Wait, again, you're confusing me. I use you less than the Two of Hearts?"

     Crescenta grinned at the girl's ignorance. "I'm sorry that old Glossaryck leaves out important information. However, yes, you are _always_ using the Two of Hearts."

     Star looked at the facsimile of the full moon through her recreation of the window. "I've never even seen the card before…"

     "Oh, my dear, trust me. I mean it was that reason why I met with you in the first place. I thought you were Eclipsa."

     Star remained quiet as she struggled to remember information that had seemed to vanish from her memories.

     "Don't dwell too hard on it. It matters little, dear." The Undead queen pondered for a moment. She wondered if she had said something she hadn't. Not that she was worried for the girl, she was worried if she had ruined the game Eclipsa had started. She decided to change subjects in hopes of salvaging the situation. "Let's move on to a more important topic. The boy."

     "Marco?"

     "Yes."

     Star's tone had quieted, her usual energy lacking, "What about him? You apparently already know what happened."

     "I do. But me knowing and you admitting it, are two separate matters."

     "Admit what?"

     "The truth dear."

     "-Sigh-... Marco has a date for the dance..."

     "Go on."

     "... And it isn't me…" Star stifled a cry. "... Why isn't it me?"

     Crescenta never had a daughter, both she and her sister were the last generation of the Butterfly family. So, when it came to comforting children, the queen was lacking in experience. However, when it came to men, she would deem herself quite knowledgeable. She had been with multiple suitors before she decided on her king.

     "I don't know my dear. I don't understand how a boy like him could pass up on such a pretty girl as yourself." Crescenta attempted to cheer up the girl, to little avail. "However, all is not lost."

     Star wiped the tears from her face, "Huh?"

     "I said, all is not lost. Yes, you have lost this battle, but have you been defeated? Did you lose the war? No. It has only begun!" Crescenta proudly stood in front of Star. "You claim yourself as a Butterfly? Then do not lose your pride!"

     The downtrodden girl felt a rush of fresh air as Crescenta's words resonated within her.

     The queen continued her speech. "I fought tooth and nail to earn the love of my life! And if you shall not do the same, then you are not _worthy_ of the Butterfly name! We Butterfly do not settle for anything but what we desire! Do not let a single defeat define you."

     Star stood up from her seat, empowered from the words of the queen. "YES! I can do this! I _am_ a Butterfly! YES! YES! YES!"

     Crescenta looked astonished at the young blonde. The girl may not have been from her own royal blood, but she felt a connection with her. Star had deeply reminded Crescenta of her sister, Eclipsa. In fact, looking back on it, the queen had once used a particularly similar pep talk with her sister.

     "Not too loud dear. I am standing right here. Oh-ho-ho!"

     Star sheepishly smiled in apology, "I'm sorry."

     Crescenta took her seat again and gestured for the girl to join her. "As long as we keep the volume down just a bit. I don't mind loud, but there is a fine line before you cross into obnoxious."

     The princess bowed in acknowledgement before taking her seat. "Uh… I'm sorry, but if you would… Would it be possible to hear your stories?"

     "Stories? What stories?"

     "Could... you tell me of how you met your love?"

     "Do you not have a mother who could share her own stories?"

     Star averted her gaze with the Undead queen. "I do. But… mom doesn't like to talk about it."

     Crescenta fixed her eyes on the girl. 'If I had a daughter, I wonder if she would've been the same?' She clicked her tongue and offered Star an answer, "Very well."

     Star's eyes grew in appreciation. "Please and thank you."

     "-Sigh- I guess we have enough time for me to regale you with my greatness. Oh-ho-ho!"

     Crescenta felt like she did in the old days, gossiping about boys and men. Star was fascinated by the multiple stories the queen had shared. And when time came to discuss Crescenta's true love, Star could see a shred of regret in her eyes as the queen recounted her tales. A story about how the queen had managed to fall off her warnicorn, only to be swept off her feet as her love caught her nearly injuring himself under the massive beast. She spoke of the multiple times the man would bring her a new flower every day. Whether he met her or not, he had left a flower on her windowsill before dawn. That was until they had abruptly stopped. Apparently he was to be wed to another, it was a political marriage to foster strength between the alliances. And, it didn't help that he belonged to another faction within the Butterfly family. Yes, Crescenta had been in love with her third cousin. Closely growing up together, it was an eventuality that the two would share some sort of emotion. However, none of that stopped the queen. On the night of the Blood Moon, Crescenta crashed the wedding. She wrestled the bride to be into submission, declared her dominance, and took her man. Under the light of the Blood Moon, Crescenta shared a dance with her beloved, forever tying her fate with his.

     An awestruck Star commented, "Oh that's so romantic…"

     "I like to think so." The regretful look hadn't left the queen's face as she recounted her tales. "I would like to continue… but it seems time is up." She pointed to the sun that encroached the dawn sky.

     "Can't you at least tell me what happened between yourself and your king? You can't just leave me hanging in suspense."

     Crescenta offered Star a soft smile and nonchalantly responded, "I devoured him."

     A bewildered look etched itself onto Star as the dream world faded into light. She sat straight up in her bed. Her hair frizzed and was a mess. Her expression had carried itself from the dream world. Star had remembered her dream with the Undead queen, and was at a loss of the final words the queen had offered before waking. It wasn't the first time she had heard those words, but this time they stood out prominently.

     "She devoured him?"


	27. Episode 09 - Chapter 02

Hoshi no Kirifuda  
Episode 09 - Chapter 02

Disclaimer:  
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred. These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes.

Author's Notes:

Please keep the reviews coming, especially if it is constructive.

000000

     A knock could be heard from the door. "Star?" It was Marco.

     Star had holed herself up in her room upon waking up. She was initially confidant after hearing Crescenta's speech and stories. However, remembering the look of remorsefulness on the queen's face and hearing her last words caused her to doubt herself once more.

     "I left your breakfast in front of your door. You might want to eat it before it gets cold. I'll be downstairs if you need me."

     The floorboards creaked ever so slightly as she could hear the boy step downstairs. She had been up since dawn and her stomach was running on empty. It growled at the girl in search for sustenance. She drooled towards her bedroom door and could smell the flavorful wafts of Marco's homemade breakfast slip beneath the door. Star relented and decided to get off her butt. She surmised that it wouldn't do her any good to overthink on an empty stomach.

     The blonde opened her door ever so slowly. She may have heard Marco walk downstairs, but she was cautious in avoiding the boy. Besides not mentally ready to see Marco, Star knew that she wasn't physically. The girl's hair was still frizzed all over the place, it might as well have been a lion's mane. And she couldn't imagine that she smelled her best after wallowing in her bed all morning. The girl desperately needed a shower. But that could wait until after food she decided.

     Her breakfast was presented on a silver platter, or at least what Star thought was silver-like. Her food had been kept warm under a metal lid. And the boy had also provided the girl a glass of milk. Star took her breakfast back to her bed and wet her lips in anticipation. Upon lifting the lid, warm steam escaped and tickled the girl's nose. In front of her was a stack of two pancakes, some scrambled eggs, and fruit. However, what made the girl giggle was the presentation. The fruit had been placed on top of the pancakes to design a face; blueberries had been in place for the eyes, slices of banana were used to make a smile, and two halves of a strawberry were used to recreate Star's heart shaped birthmarks. And the eggs had been used to mimic her blonde hair.

     "Mewni, why does he have to be so stupidly perfect?" Star considered as she began to pour liquid sugar on her breakfast.

     As she began to cut up the pancakes she noticed that in between the two pancakes were hidden sausage patties. The girl was happy to see that her squire hadn't forgotten the second most important part of her meal, next to the syrup. She chomped down on her food in appreciation of the boy's culinary skills. That was until she began to choke on a large bite that she hadn't chewed well enough. However, thanks to a glass of refreshingly cool milk, the crisis was averted.

     "Smaller bites Star," she had to remind herself. "A princess is supposed to present proper table manners."

     Star's thoughts drifted from Marco to her own parents. She wondered how they must've been doing. She hoped they were doing well. Though in retrospect, she considered that they must've been doing great without her presence and trouble. She was always a handful of a princess. Growing up, she recalled all of her ignored princess tutors. It was always more fun for her to participate in combat training or arduous physical activities. Her mother, Queen Moon Butterfly, was always demanding of her to pay attention in her princess classes. Instructing her to sit in the proper posture, how to greet other royalty, and etc…

     Star imitated her mother in mockery. "-Ugh- And don't forget how important the pinky finger must always be outstretched at a ninety degree angle when drinking tea. I hated that part the most."

     However, even with Star's mother's penchant for being an overbearing mother and queen, the girl loved her mother. The stories she heard from her father about her mother's younger years created a tapestry of awe and wonderment. Star's mother had received her coronation at a young age, due to the fact that Star's grandmother had passed away early in Queen Moon's life. However, even with the weight of the kingdom on her shoulders, she had brought stability and safety to the kingdom. There wasn't anything that Queen Moon hadn't faced to have the most prominent kingdom of Mewni. Star had been told tales of where her mother had defeated monsters one day, and then tended to royal families the next day without a bat of an eye. Queen Butterfly had been given the title of Moon, the Undaunted, in respect for all she had done for the kingdom. Literal blood and sweat poured into the prosperity of the kingdom. The common folk loved her and the royal families respected her. In Star's eyes, her mother was her idol. Which might've fueled her recklessness in trying to meet the bar of expectations her mother had set before Star.

     Star had been licking the plate of any leftover syrup. Just because she was a princess, it didn't mean she couldn't enjoy the simpler things in life like sugar. She had cleared her entire breakfast, without leaving behind a single morsel. Star sat in silence for a moment, staring at the door she shared with the bathroom. She was procrastinating from cleaning up and making herself look presentable. Star just wished to stay in her bed all day and do absolutely nothing. However, her usual disposition wouldn't allow her. She may have dreaded confrontation with Marco, but she didn't want to actually do nothing.

     Placing her feet onto the floor, she dragged herself to the bathroom. She knocked on the door, just in case she hadn't heard Marco. With no response, the girl peaked behind the door and saw that it wasn't occupied. Quickly she rushed to the other door and locked it from the inside. It was going to take time to look good, and Star needed all the privacy she could.

     Star peeled her nightgown off. The lavender dress had become quite sticky after wearing it all night and morning. She made a note of it to get it washed for later use. With the shower on at the right temperature, Star stepped into the falling droplets of water. As she cleaned herself, the girl examined her body. To be more specific, Star compared herself to Jackie Lynn Thomas. Her body was lithe and muscular from years of physical training. Eventually her hands passed over her chest. She frowned slightly at the lack of womanly curves. She was still young and developing, though there were signs of growth, they weren't up to her expectations. In comparison to Jackie who had already begun to fill out her curves, Star was still relatively flat.

     She thought to herself, 'Like comparing hobbit hills to mountains. -Sigh-'

     Next her hands slid down her frame to her behind. Star may not have been confidant in her breasts, but she was quite happy with her buttocks. With years of running and hiking, she had quite a toned posterior.

     'Firm, but supple. Just right.' Star giggled to herself. 'On second thought… even I've made googly eyes at Jackie's butt. That girl has buns for days!'

     If it wasn't one thing, it was another in Star's mind. She just couldn't wrap her head around on any idea as to how she was going to win Marco's attention. The cool Californian girl was just as athletic as Star. Jackie may not have had a warrior's body, but years on a skateboard had given the girl a well built body and lucky genetics bestowed natural assets to boot. From their few interactions, Star could see why Marco was so enthralled with the girl. In Star's opinion, Jackie was cool as ice, a kind girl, and though not the smartest, she was above average.

     After a final rinse, Star turned off the shower and reached for her towels. She had one wrapped around herself and another drying her hair. Star approached the vanity mirror in front of the duel sinks and pulled out her makeup. She still held some doubts when comparing herself to Jackie, but she decided that worrying over the details wasn't going to do anything productive. If she wanted Marco, she would have to take a step forward and try.

     'Now… what do I have to wear?'

000

     Marco had been sitting downstairs, watching television. However, he was doing anything but watching. He awoke this morning expecting things to have been fine after it seemed like Star wasn't entirely disappointed in him. But that wasn't the case, according to Marco. Star had holed herself up in her bedroom and had refused to interact with him. And Marco did not take that well, his internal angst consumed him from the inside. So, he optimistically made breakfast for the girl. In hopes that he could make it up to the girl, even if it were so slightly. He had already ruined things with Janna, and he wasn't prepared to do the same with another friend.

     Marco laid, face down, into the couch. His face munched on the seat cushion as he wallowed in his own self loathing. He hadn't noticed as a shadow loomed over him.

     "Kid. You're in my seat."

     Marco turned his head towards the voice and saw Glossaryck. He didn't have enough energy to care about the little man and he turned face down again.

     "Kid. You must be the life of the party. Just look at all of that energy," Glossaryck dryly spoke. "You want to talk about it? Or do you want me to just do the usual mind reading? I could care less as long as I can get to watch my stories."

     Marco mumbled a reply into the furniture.

     "So, you messed up with Janna. And now you're worried you messed up with Star."

     Again, Marco inaudibly mumbled.

     The diminutive blue man rolled his eyes at the sorry sight that was Marco. "Kid. I can't take you serious like this."

     Eventually, Marco sat up, freeing up space on the couch for Glossaryck. Who gave the boy an incredulous look, before pointing at the spot Marco's face laid in.

     "Move over Kid. I'm not going to sit in your tears."

     With what looked like the most difficulty he could, Marco lumbered from one side of the couch to the other. Glossaryck sighed and sat next to the boy.

     "Let's hear it," Glossaryck commanded.

     Marco decided to just tell the mind reading man, since it didn't really matter if he didn't. "I took advantage of Janna's feelings for me. Ruining a lifelong friendship. And then same day, I forget to tell Star about Jackie. She finds out and is completely disappointed in me," he sniffled.

     "Uh-huh, uh-huh. And?"

     "I'm a terrible person Glossaryck! I betrayed two people. How am I supposed to _live_?"

     Glossaryck raised an eyebrow and gave the boy an 'are-you-serious?' look. "Enough theatrics kid. You're being overdramatic."

     "I'm not overdra-"

     Glossaryck raised a hand, "Stop. Breathe. Listen."

     Marco looked at Glossarcyk and felt compelled to listen to the commands.

     "Good. Now, I'll let you in on a secret... Neither of them are angry at you."

     A glint of life came back to the boy as hope filled his eyes. "Wait? WHAT?!"

     "Kid, keep it quiet. It's a secret. Remember?" Glossaryck smirked at the boy.

     Marco couldn't believe it. After everything that neither Janna or Star would be angry at him. In his opinion, he had done unforgivable things and didn't deserve to be forgiven.

     "Don't read too much into my words. I only said they weren't angry at you."

     Marco twiddled his thumbs, "How do you know? Did you read their minds?"

     "No. Even if I did, I wouldn't divulge any of their personal information to you. Just like how I don't share your information with anyone else."

     Marco's eyes shifted from hope to disbelief. He thought that Glossaryck was just telling him what he wanted to hear to cheer him up. "Oh..."

     "Marco, I have been around for a long time. Longer than the Undead. Longer than what you can consider life itself. And I need you to accept something."

     The boy had a look of confusion on his face as he asked for clarification, "Accept?"

     "Yes. Accept. Because you will never be able to understand."

     "Okay… what is this wisdom that you have?"

     Glossaryck paused for dramatic effect, "You. Will. Ne-ver. Un-der-stand. Wo-men."

     The boy slipped out of his seat and crashed face first onto the floor. He had expected wise words from the usually all-knowing man. Marco was unprepared to hear this from the sage.

     Marco got off the floor and asked, "You're kidding me right?"

     "Kid. Do I ever kid? Ha-ha! No, but seriously."

     "-Sigh- That's all you have to say?" Marco sulked.

     "Tell me, have you spoken to either of them?"

     "No."

     "So, you have no idea what is actually going on, and you're working on assumptions?"

     Marco shrugged, "I guess?"

     "When you _assume_ , you make an ass out of _you_."

     "And me?" Marco continued the idiom for the small man.

     "Yes and _you_. You don't have to correct me on how the saying goes." Glossaryck reached over to the remote and changed the channel. "Marco, don't assume the worse. Both Janna and Star are your friends. Talk to them. They may need some time before they can talk, but discuss with them. Listen to them."

000

     "Hey Marco." Star shyly waved at the young teen.

     The boy took a deep gulp as he heard Star use his name. He hadn't heard her come downstairs and it startled him. His head turned away from the television to face Star. And his heart skipped a beat as he noticed what she wore. Star's outfit was a simple peach pink dress with a lace collar, a black tied string around her waist, and with double white lace at the hem of the dress.

     "St- Star! I- I- I didn't see you there!" Marco stammered.

     She gave him a smile. "Heh, hello to you too."

     He noticed that she had a light layer of makeup on, just enough to bring out the blue of her eyes. It wasn't unusual to see her put on makeup, but something about it this time caught his attention. Maybe it was the entire ensemble. She wore a lovely dress, had makeup on that brought out the sparkles in her eyes, and… she wore the headband he had given her. It all tied together perfectly.

     "Uh… hi." Besides being caught unaware by the beautiful girl in front of him, Marco was surprised that Star would be the one to initiate between them. "-Ahem- Hi."

     Glossaryck witnessed the boy's stupor and rolled his eyes. The boy was freezing up. No matter where or when, a boy would always be a boy. 'Ah, to be young again.'

     She grinned at Marco, "I heard you the first time."

     He returned her grin with a sheepish smile, "Sorry. Did you need something?"

     "Oh? Did you forget? I thought you said that you were going to teach me how to ride a bike today?"

     "I did? I mean- I did. Did- Did you want to do that right now?"

     Star was enjoying herself as the boy of her affections grew flustered. She didn't know what she did, but she assumed she was doing it right. Maybe Crescenta's stories helped more than she believed.

     She giggled at him, "Yeah, I'd like that."

     Star offered a hand to Marco and he reached out to take it. Together they both headed towards the garage, hand in hand. Both of them happy that things were taking a turn for the better.

     Glossaryck ignored the children and continued flipping channels until he found the show he sought for. "Like sands through the hourglass, so are the Days of our Lives," announced the narrator of the show.

     "-Sigh- The show never got any better after Dr. Ramoray fell down that elevator shaft." He then raised a finger as he remembered something important. "I forgot to ask the kids to bring back some Boom Nuggets!"


	28. Episode 09 - Chapter 03

     

Hoshi no Kirifuda  
Episode 09 - Chapter 03

Disclaimer:  
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred. These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes.

Author's Notes:

Heads up this is a longer chapter than usual. I honestly considered breaking this into two chapters. However, that felt like it would ruin my writing pattern, so I decided against it.

Please keep the reviews coming, especially if it is constructive.

000000

     It took Star a few hours, but she was finally getting the hang of it. According to Marco, you pushed the pedals to let the magical goat know when to move forward and you pedal backwards to get it to stop. He initially helped her by holding the back of her seat, but once she managed to maintain her balance, he let her go. They hadn't gone out far, and had stayed relatively close to the Diaz residence.

     "You're looking good Star!" Marco encouraged her.

     "HA-HA! I AM MASTER OF THE BIKE! GAZE IN AWE OF MY GLORY!"

     The boy couldn't help but laugh at Star's proclamation. He was proud of her. It had taken some time, but in all honesty, he was astonished at how fast she picked it up. It had taken him a week or so with training wheels, whereas Star took just a few hours sans training wheels. He had recently let go of the bike and Star managed to keep her balance. However, that wasn't the only reason why Marco was glad to let go of the bike. During his instructions, he realized how close he was to the girl as he held onto the bike to help keep balance. His hands were dangerously close to her derriere, and he could feel her warmth radiating through her thin dress. He had to admit that standing closely behind Star made it difficult not to admire her behind. His eyes would trail down her rump to her exposed legs. He could see the rippling of her muscles as she pedaled and admired just how firm her glutes, thighs, and calves were. He no doubt attributed her well toned body to all of her stories about hunting animals and monsters.

     Marco internally chastised himself, 'She's just a friend. Just a friend.' He waved at the girl who returned his gesture with a brilliant smile. 'Yeah… A friend.'

     When Star had finally tired herself, she sat on the curb next to Marco. The two teens had enjoyed themselves and the awkward air between them earlier had faded away. Now the two simply sat there, enjoying the Autumn breeze as the sunset marked the end of the day. Star squirreled herself closer Marco. If it wasn't the fact that she had herself pressed against Marco, she might've regretted not bringing another layer of clothes for warmth.

     "Thanks Marco." She reached over to grab his knee.

     "Hmm? What for?"

     "Teaching me how to tame your bike."

     Marco chuckled, "Star, for the last time, there is no invisible animal. There is no magic."

     "And… for being there. For being _here._ If you weren't around, I don't know what I would've done"

     "Of course, I'm your friend. I'll always be there for you." He reassured her with a smile and wrapped an arm around her slender shoulders.

     The two continued to share the moment until the moon could be seen in the sky. They had packed up and were ready to head back inside. Marco was just about to close the garage door when Star gave him that familiar look.

     "Marco!" Star cried out in urgency.

     "Yep already ahead of you." He pulled his bicycle out and shut the garage behind them.

     Somewhere there was an Undead and it was up to Star and Marco to defeat it. It wasn't even a surprise anymore. For the both of them, it was more surprising to have a break like they did the night before. Marco had observed a pattern that the Undead only came out at night. Why for that matter, he would have to find out later.

     Star got on top of the bike seat and gestured for the boy to get on behind her. "Get on Marco, I'll show you how a true bike master pedals."

     He chuckled at the antics of the blonde and followed her order.

000

     Upon arrival, Star was quite winded. She panted hard and could barely feel her legs. The girl had figured that it would be an easy thing to pedal the boy to their destination. She had seen him do it so many times, but was she wrong. Pedaling by yourself and pedaling with someone else were two different things. Star prided herself in her stamina, but she was had worked muscles she never knew even existed.

     "How do. You do. That. Every time?" Star was trying to catch her breath. She noticed that the boy had a smirk on his face.

     "I offered to bike, and you refused it. Heh." Around midway, he noticed Star struggling a bit with the uphills. So, he offered Star to swap places. But the girl refused it on the grounds that if he could do it, she could do it better. Still, he was impressed that she pressed on.

     "Oh. Shut. Up."

     An unknown figure clapped in the darkness. "legh muSHa'ghach cha'par! (Look at the love birds!)"

     "ghob'e' QaQ… (Must be nice...)" voiced a second figure.

     And a third figure shoved the other figures into the moonlight. "vaj maH wej naDev. (That's not what we're here for.)"

     The first figure dusted itself off, revealing black clad armor and a golden mane. In its right hand were three large claws made of the same black metal as its armor. The lion-like Undead bent its neck back and forth stretching its muscles. However, its eyes never left its gazes on Marco.

     The second Undead decided to sit on the ground, its gaze also focused on Marco. Its body was mostly black, save for all of the tribalistic designs made of metal chains and studs. Its red hair was styled into a triple mohawk. Though focused on Marco, it seemed awfully lethargic of the situation as it snorted at the boy. It revealed its pig-like face and flat snout.

     The last Undead, which seemed to act like the leader of the other two, had a different air around itself. It stood tall and proud, revealing its very insect looking features. Its body was also mostly black. However, it had portions of deep emerald green colored on its forearms and where its abdominal muscles would be. On its back were two large green wings with yellow scales. It took its right hand and suavely pushed back the two thin antennas it had on its forehead. Marco thought it looked like it had the face of a grasshopper, with its pincer mouth and beady black eyes.

     The grasshopper Undead pointed at Marco. "maH naDev. neH SoH. (We are here for you. Only you.)"

     "laH jISuv je! (I can fight too!)" Star demanded as she pointed right back at the Undead.

     The Lion Undead howled out loud, "jIQoS loQ jaw, ta' tlham. neH loDHom maSuv. (Sorry little lady, King's orders. We fight the boy only.)"

     "batlhchaj chaHvaD laH HoH neH qej, jIH. (I mean, we could kill both of them.)" The snouted Undead suggested.

     "ghobe', tlham neH loDHom, Blade. (No, our orders are just for the boy, Blade.)" It was then that the black and green Undead slightly turned its head to face the other two. "pagh vIchel bI'Ij nongtaH Dara' ghaH'a'? ghaH HoSchoH bitch voQmoH Quch. (Or would you rather tell the King you didn't listen? He has grown fond of choking a bitch.)"

     The other two Undead froze and considered their options. It was the pig-like Undead that spoke for the both of them. "ghobe' QaQ. 'ach loDHom nIH laH HoH jIH? (Nah, we're good. But I can kill the boy right?)"

     Marco took a defensive stance, obviously not taking the conversation the three Undead were having very well. He didn't know why but apparently they had been given orders to kill him. Orders no less from their King; a king who even monsters feared.

     "taH HoS. Hegh puj. (The strong survive. The weak die.)" shrugged the grasshopper Undead. "qatlh loQ ghogh vIghaj 'e' choH ta' ghewmey vIlegh. (I don't see why the King would change his tune.)"

     The Lion Undead pounced forward and announced, "HARGH! ghewQaS'e' wa'DIch 'eb net chaw'a'! (I get first crack at him!)"

     Nervously Marco asked, "Uh… Do I not get a choice in the matter?"

     All three Undead yelled in unison, "Qo'! (No!)"

     "loDHom, qaqaD botlhDaq potlhmeyDaq cho'! (Boy, I challenge you to a traditional fight of succession!)" The golden maned Undead pointed its claw right at Marco.

     "Uh… Star? What's does that mean?" Marco whispered to his partner.

     The girl had a look of frustration on her face. She knew what the Undead had invoked, and it meant nearly the worst thing possible. She gave a look of worry for Marco before answering his question, "It means... I can't help you."

     Marco was taken aback, "What?! I have to fight all three by myself?!"

     The Lion Undead yelled at the ignorant teen, "QIp loDHom, Hembogh DujDaj wa' wa'! HoS latlhpu' wuv ghewmey tob SoH! (Stupid boy, it is one on one combat! You don't prove your strength relying on others!)"

     Marco gulped, at least he didn't have to fight all three of them at once. However, it puzzled him why only until now did the Undead challenge him at all. They had been busy fighting among themselves up until tonight. He knew they had orders, but that didn't explain why the instructions. And even more worrisome, it sounded like these Undead were perfectly fine with killing Marco if need be.

     With a ferocious roar the Lion Undead pointed a thumb to itself and announced its presence, "WEJ SPADES! (THREE OF SPADES!)"

     "Introduce yourself Marco! Get in there! You can do it!" Star attempted to cheer the boy on, as it was the only thing she could do in this situation.

     "Fine, not like I have a choice." Marco placed the Ace of Spades into his buckle and declared out loud, "MARCO DIAZ! Henshin! KAMEN RIDER BLADE!" Now clad in his armor, he unsheathed his sword and presented its blade directly towards the Lion Undead. He thought to himself that he must've looked pretty cool.

     However, as soon as Marco drew his sword, the Lion Undead threw a heavy punch. Caught unaware, Marco took the brunt of it and staggered backwards.

     Marco internally chastised himself, 'Note to self. Fight first. Look cool second.'

000

     Star was amazed, she had just seen Marco take down two of the three Undead. His victory over the Three of Spades was quite close. The Lion Undead had been tenacious and threw deadly rights. Their destructive strength were evident from all the damages and rubble each punch caused around their environment. However, with a combination of swings from Marco's sword, he was able to finally take down the Undead. It was actually astonishing to watch the boy utilize his sword. If one didn't know better, they'd have assumed that Marco was a master of the blade. However, Star knew, and it looked as if Marco was channeling the spirit of a master swordsman. The precision of his strikes were beyond what Marco should've been able to do.

     Then with little time to recover, Marco was challenged by the Boar Undead, the Four of Spades. The Undead had gotten furious with Marco after the boy called it a pig. Star admitted she would've done the same. However, the Undead corrected the boy's assumption with relentless charges. The Boar Undead dug into the earth with heavy stomps as it charged at Marco. However, as much power its attacks were, they were too easily telegraphed, and Marco dodged and eventually stunned the Undead with an electric strike. The finish was a clean cut and seal.

     All there was left was the insectoid Undead. Who looked quite amused at Marco's actions. It clapped at Marco victories. The claps weren't in a mocking manner, but they were dry. Each clap resounded with pride. However, it wasn't surprised in anyway that Marco had done as well as the boy did. The defeat of the other two Undead didn't faze it in anyway, like everything was going exactly as planned.

     Star was aware that even though Marco had been able to pull through against two Undead, he was now physically exhausted. She could see it in his breathing. His body shook as he took in deep breaths. The girl wanted to reach out and just comfort the boy. However, she knew that to interrupt the trial by combat wouldn't be in Marco's best interest. If the King of Spades had really instructed these Undead to face Marco, it meant that the Monster King had interest in the boy. She couldn't imagine what could happen if she interrupted the

     King's wishes. For the time being, these were challenges of honor, and if she interrupted they could escalate beyond what she could control. She feared that it would spiral out of control and at worse involve the Diaz family. Which was something she knew Marco would do everything he could to keep them uninvolved.

     "Marco! Are you okay?" She rushed to his side as he fell over on a knee. The only thing keeping him up was his sword impaled into the ground.

     He held out a hand in a signal for her to stop. "I'm fine Star… Just... winded…"

     "leS bImejnIS? (Do you need to rest?)" The remaining Undead gestured to the worn out boy.

     "Heh. If I said yes, I doubt you would let me." Marco wheezed.

     The grasshopper Undead cackled through it's mandibles. It was glad to see that the boy at least retained a sense of humor. If it were under any other situation, it would've let the boy go. He had displayed multiple impressive feats and not a single one had been a demerit on the Undead's opinion on the boy. However, these commands from the King were explicit. Even though the black and green Undead knew that the King couldn't kill it, that didn't mean that the King couldn't make the Undead's life miserable. There are always things worse than death. The best he could do was give Blade a moment of respite before his own challenge.

     The Undead clicked through its mandible, "lugh. 'ach tlhuH 'uch tup SuyItHa' rup ghaHlaw'. (You are correct. However, I think giving you a minute to catch your breath is fine.)"

     Marco was grateful for this moment of respite. His muscles ached from over usage. He had been doing things tonight that he couldn't understand. He had noticed that ever since his sealing of the Six of Spades that his sword skills were improving. It was as if he had absorbed the knowledge and skills of the Undead. The only problem was that his body was still only human. It could only do so much before the skills that were meant for an undying body expend his stamina and strength.

     "ghaHvaD SuvtaHvIS vIleghjaj! pagh taH ghaH! (Let me fight for him! He can't go on!)" Star demanded.

     The grasshopper Undead growled at Star, "nob wov chenmoH. neH SeH cha'DIch chaw' ghaH jIH, loDHom wej qaDta'bogh jIH HIlegh 'oH. puj batlh Qagh. (Do not make light of my gift. Just because I allowed him this second, it does not mean I will not challenge the boy. Do not mistake my honor for weakness.)"

     Star shied away from the Undead. She wasn't afraid of it, she knew she could defeat it in Marco's place. However, she was terrified to see Marco die here.

     "It's okay Star, I'm feeling better already." Marco was clearly lying. However, he was curious of something, and he supposed that this might be the only chance for him to inquire. "Say, if I choose to give up here, what would happen?"

     The remaining Undead brought a finger to its chin to ponder for a second before giving its answer. "jey chID? Hoch vItlhap vo' SoH. _Ace Spades 'ej yInlIj_. taH HoS. Hegh puj. (Admit defeat? I would take everything from you. _The Ace of Spades and your life._ The strong survive. The weak die.)"

     Marco thought as much. They weren't going to make this easy on him. There was only one way out of this. However, oddly enough, though it couldn't be seen by either Star or the grasshopper Undead, Marco had a wide grin on his face. The shaking of his body wasn't just from exhaustion, it came from the exhilaration of the fight. The adrenaline from the two consecutive fights pumped through his body and it caused his body to quiver in excitement. He knew very well that he could die with the next challenge, but something just egged him on.

     Actually it wasn't just something, it was a familiar voice. 'Do you really want to give up? If you give up, you die. But if you fight, you _could_ die. I rather like that chance.' The voice that spoke to his inner thoughts was a recently acquainted voice, it was the one from his dreams. 'Are you going to admit that you're weak?'

     'No.' Marco responded to the voice.

     'Are you going to die here?'

     'No.'

     'What are you going to do?'

     Marco looked into the Undead's black eyes and made his declaration, "I will defeat you here! I am Marco! Ubaldo! Diaz! I am **KAMEN RIDER BLADE**! And I challenge you to a ritual fight of succession!"

     Internally Marco could hear the hysterical laughter of the voice. 'Yes! Show the weakling _your_ power! Demonstrate why _we_ are the Ace! Let them bear witness to why _I_ am to... be... **KING**!'

     Marco hadn't fully heard what the internal voice had said as the adrenaline drove through his body. Before the Undead could introduce itself, Marco was already charging head first into the Undead. Star had fallen backwards and landed on her butt. She was aghast at Marco's sudden change in personality. The gentle boy she admired had suddenly transformed into an unabating warrior.

     The two warriors threw strikes at each other and in turn narrowly avoided one another's attacks. All Star could witness was a flurry of strikes from both combatants. The blonde girl observed in wonderment of Marco's physical feats. She considered both of them to be on par with each other in skill. However, Marco's explosive energy couldn't hold out for long. It was then that Star noticed the boy took a staggered step. And the Undead didn't fail to notice or capitalize the moment. With a sharp kick, the Undead knocked Marco's weapon out of his hands. The sword flew across the battlefield and stopped itself in the trunk of a tree. With the loss of his weapon, Marco was deprived of the edge he had to keep pace with the Undead. All Marco could do was take a flurry of kicks from the insectoid Undead.

     Star cried out, "MARCO!"

     With a heavy kick, the Undead punted Marco across the terrain. He landed with a loud thwack as he collided with the tree his sword was fixed to. The tree uprooted and fell over as it bore the weight of Marco's collision. The boy laid next to the tree in silence.

     Star's horror stuck in the back of her throat as she ran towards Marco's limp body. However, the Undead was even faster as it dashed towards the Kamen Rider intent to finish it now. Star had tears in her eyes as she wasn't fast enough to her loved one. A cloud of dust blocked her view as the Undead's leg impacted where Marco laid.

     "THUNDER. BEAT. LIGHTNING THRASH!"

     The dust began to clear as Star beheld Marco landing a series of lightning infused punches into the chest of the Undead. Each strike leaving a crack in the Undead's armor. And then Marco wound up one last fist before throwing it straight through the chest of the Undead. His fist was covered in green blood as it could be seen from the hole it left behind.

     "HoS. (Strong.)" the Undead coughed up as it keeled over.

     With his last conscious breath, Marco threw a sealing card at the Undead's body.

000

     Marco awoke to being cradled by Star's arms, they felt so cold. He had no idea how long they had stayed out in the Autumn night. The girl had been weeping his name and her tears fell on his damp face. He realized he must've unconsciously let go of his transformation at some point. He didn't know how long he had been out, but he was happy to be alive. Marco reached up to Star's face and wiped her tears.

     "Hey Princess."

     Star shook him, "I hate you. I hate you. I hate you so much."

     "Yeah, I deserve that."

     She continued to shower him with tears. "What was I going to do if you didn't make it? Didn't you just tell me to not be reckless?"

     "I don't know. And I did tell you that. Heh."

     "It's not funny…"

     "I know it's not. But I can't help but laugh."

     Star held him even tighter. He could feel her chest pressed into his face. Even in a situation like this, he was well aware of where he was. He didn't know how to respond, but figured it would be best to let the girl cry her heart out. He had done something pretty stupid tonight. In fact, ever since becoming a Kamen Rider, he had been doing things that seemed out of character for him. And he only had one clue why: The Voice.


	29. Episode 10 - Chapter 01

Hoshi no Kirifuda  
Episode 10 - Chapter 01

Disclaimer:  
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred. These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes.

Author's Notes:

LOOK! I AM EARLY! Also, don't expect this to happen often. I just found time to write at work.

I don't know if I have to clarify this, since I think I made it very evident, but every episode has been a single day. Everything has been going on consecutively and there has been no gap in days between episodes. If you follow you should be able to tell what day in the week we're on.

Please keep the reviews coming, especially if it is constructive.

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     Mr. Lucitor was going through the nuances of the English language. Explaining the differences between 'there, they're, and their.' To be more accurate, he was going over homonyms, words that sounded the same, but with different meanings.

     "To be fair, I expected to take my fair date to the fair." Mr. Lucitor used as an example.

     Star looked brain dead as the gears in her head slipped and loss grip of each other. Marco just smiled at the princess and her attempt to soak in the information. The way that the girl just struggled to understand the simplest things never failed to amuse him. Her nose would scrunch up in frustration and she wouldn't realise what an adorable action it was.

     "-Ahem- Mr. Diaz, is there something distracting you?"

     "Uh… no. Sir." Marco turned a deep shade of red. It was a color one wouldn't have assumed possible with his natural skin color.

     The teacher gave his student a wink, "Better to keep it that way young man." Mr. Lucitor had seen exactly what distracted the boy and it wasn't a surprise. He assumed the boy spending time and risking his life with the girl would eventually lead to some sort of fondness between the two. Plus, it must've been unavoidable since the two lived together.

     Marco could see his teacher's smirk. '-Argh- Was it that obvious?' He couldn't stop thinking about the events of last night. Especially when it ended with him laying in the girl's lap. She had wept for him. She earnestly cared for him. But he didn't know how to feel about it. He honestly didn't know how to react to it. So, his mind kept drifting back to the scene that lead up to that moment.

     Try as he might, he couldn't exactly focus on the lesson. He had done something he hadn't expected. Sure, he wouldn't have had troubles against the Undead if it was he and Star fighting together. However, Star had refused to fight with him on the grounds that it was some sort of ritual one-on-one combat challenge. He knew that Star wasn't a huge stickler to traditions, so it must've been a real complication if the girl decided that this be the one rule she listened to. And to the surprise of Marco, he took down three of the Undead by himself. It was a close fight in the end. Unlike the first two Undead, the Five of Spades was proficient in its attacks. If Marco had not landed near his sword to utilize his Undead cards, he wouldn't have been able to sit and endure another Monday. He was glad to be alive.

     Being alive is great and all, however that bothered him. Marco still had no idea who or what that voice was. It had compelled the boy into continuing the fight when it was clear that any normal person would've given up. But maybe he wasn't so normal anymore. The damages that he had sustained or the lack of, astonished him. It wasn't just something simple that he could attribute to his transformed state and armor. That may have helped, but that wouldn't explain the instant healing he had the very next day. None of the bruises or scratches he had from the night before were apparent the morning after. Marco flexed the muscles in his right arm, and balled his hand into a fist. He hadn't truly considered what was happening to his body after becoming a Kamen Rider. However, it was clear that after becoming Blade, that something was changing. Whether that was a good or bad thing, he didn't know. Honestly, the boy appreciated the added strength and endurance. Where it was once a chore to pedal his bike to school, he now found it a breeze. This was with the additional weight of Star as passenger. He also noticed that his reflexes were becoming faster and sharper. There were notable moments where time seemed to crawl to a stop. And, it was also a plus that he had somehow became proficient in the ways of the sword. He felt like he was becoming some sort of superhero; and he tentatively welcomed it. The only thing stopping him from embracing everything was the Voice.

     It took some time to process, but he recognized the Voice. He had heard it from a couple nights before in a dream. However, the worried boy felt that wasn't the entire truth. He sensed a familiarity with the Voice. It sounded like an old friend? No, that wasn't the correct way to explain this situation. It sounded like… a previously close family member that you grew apart from. Yeah, that's a bit closer to what Marco had felt with it. The Voice had terrified him the first time he heard it, but it wasn't the Voice itself that frightened him. Losing control of his inner world was what scared him.

000

     Luckily after being told once by Mr. Lucitor, Marco didn't get caught not paying attention a second time. Time eventually passed and the lunch bell had rung. Marco had spent most of his time dwelling on anything but the class.

     Both he and Star had called out to Janna to join them for food. However, the girl had ignored them both and went the opposite direction. Marco hadn't expected Janna to forgive him, but he hadn't expected the quiet treatment. It tore at his heart and added more for the boy to dwell on.

     Both Star and Marco sat underneath a tree eating their lunches and made gossip about who they thought were going to go to the dance together. The two snickered as they both enjoyed the calm Autumn wind that carried the ocean scent.

     Suddenly, Jackie plopped herself next to Marco, "Hey, what's so funny?"

     "Oh- He- hey, Jackie." Caught unaware of Jackie, Marco struggled to swallow his food before speaking.

     "Swallow first Marco! Or you'll choke!" a concerned Star handed the boy his water bottle.

     Jackie couldn't help but follow through with a joke, "That's what she said! Hehehe-ha-ha-ha!"

     After taking a swig of his water, Marco joined the girl in her mirth. "Good one Jackie."

     The two teens continued to laugh. But Star sat in confusion, the innuendo passed over her head. It wasn't until Marco noticed the uncomfortableness of Star's expression that he stopped, Jackie soon after.

     "Sorry Star, I guess things still get lost in translation." He offered the girl a warm smile. Marco felt guilty that he had been able to enjoy something that obviously left Star uncomfortable.

     "Yeah, I'm sorry Star. I got caught up in the perfect timing and completely forgot you were there. I guess where you come from, you don't have jokes like these?" Jackie inquired.

     Seeing Marco's smile brought a sense of relief. She was enjoying her time with Marco and hadn't expected her usual free time with the boy to be interrupted. There were times when Janna would join them when they invited, and at other times spontaneously. However, Star had grown comfortable with her and considered her a friend. Jackie on the other hand was still a new beast to deal with. Star didn't have anything against the girl personally, but something she wouldn't consider her a friend. Maybe just an acquaintance. They were classmates, Star had heard stories about Jackie from Marco, but there was still more she didn't know about the girl.

     Star grinned back, "Nah, it's okay, I'll just have Marco explain later."

     "Ex-ex-ex-explain?! Uh… hmm… uh… I don't know if I'm the right person to do that," Marco stammered.

     Jackie decided to poke fun at the boy's expense, "Don't worry Safe Kid. You got this."

     "Again with the Safe Kid. I only wore the helmet in the boy's shower room that ONE TIME!"

     "Oh Star, you've got to hear this story. So, I was finishing up track, when Marco comes out running out of the boy's shower room with a helmet on! Everyone busted a gut laughing at the sight."

     "Jackie! That's not the whole story."

     "You wanna tell it then? I only know the parts I was there for." Jackie's grin widened as she knew she had the boy where she wanted him.

     Marco rolled his eyes at the Californian girl. He knew she was just provoking him, but he had his honor to defend. "Fine. Especially since you make it sound like I ran out only wearing the helmet."

     He began to outline the story that he had just finished trying out for the football team. The coach was still deciding on the team placements and told the boys to go take a shower. Marco remembered the last instance he had taken a shower in there where he nearly slipped and hurt himself. So, this time around he figured that since he had access to a helmet, he would wear it in the shower room. It didn't turn out as well as he had expected. Every other boy had obviously gotten in the shower in the nude and they all noticed the head gear still on Marco's head. Without missing a beat, they all laughed and made fun of him of it. Marco had blown up and failed to defend his point to them. Ironically, in his anger, he actually did lose his footing and hit the back of his head against the wall. Which triggered another fit of laughter from the boys. In his embarrassment, Marco quickly got dressed and ran out of the shower room with a wet helmet still on his head.

     "Obviously with what happened, I didn't make the team. It also didn't help that I had kept the helmet for a week. And the name Safe Kid just stuck around after that."

     "Oh, wow Diaz. I didn't know what actually happened. I'm sorry." Jackie laid a hand on top of his in comfort. "But still, at least you got a story to tell in the future. Maybe you'll look back on it one day and just laugh about it."

     Star felt like she didn't want to get beaten by the other blonde and clasped both her hands over his other hand. "You didn't deserve that. People can be so crappy sometimes."

     "-Sigh- I'm over it, it's just the name. It's been a few months since then, and it still hasn't dropped."

     Both Star and Jackie had gotten close to the boy, shoulder to shoulder. The boy seemed oblivious to the competing attention he was receiving from both girls. Outside of the view of the three teens was Janna grinding her teeth and stomping away.

000

     Class had continued as it usually would. Mr. Lucitor did an excellent job explaining how to properly perform factors in math. He was in mid explanation that an odd sound could be heard from the windows of the classroom.

     Tap.

     Tap.

     Tap-tap.

     The entire class had shifted their attention to the noise. To their surprise was a golden orange haired man. His skin was slightly bronzed, like he had been outside in the sun just a little bit too long; and he didn't look like a day over the age of twenty. He only stopped tapping when it seemed like he had received the full attention of the class. Then he started waving profusely. On his face was an excited face. It almost looked like the scene of a person who had been perusing at a pet shop. Only to find the cutest puppy and try to get its attention.

     Almost all of the students had a look of bafflement. They were all whispering among themselves about the stranger. All except for Marco, Star, and a certain mint striped hair girl.

     Finally, Mr. Lucitor clapped loudly to get his students' attention. "Alright everybody. Enough of that." He couldn't help but roll his eyes at the sight of the man who had interrupted his class. "Now, I'm going to have all of you do some… self-study. While I go deal with this… intruder."

     Their teacher calmly left the room, before the students did exactly what teens did best. Quickly they got together in their little cliques to discuss what had just happened. Unfortunately, as quick as they had decided to not take their teacher seriously, the man returned.

     He just eyed them all, knowing full well that almost none of them had taken what he had said genuinely. "-Sigh- There will be a quiz when I return. So, please study."

     Each student who had gotten out of their usual seat were stunned like a deer caught in the headlights of a car. They had expected more trouble in being caught. And after the teacher's announcement some of them had even considered the threat. Mr. Lucitor just left it at that and headed back out, closing the door behind himself.

     Waiting until he was sure that the teacher had left to not immediately return, Marco then turned to Star. He bent over his desk towards Star to whisper into her ear, "Hey, Star. Was that?"

     Her hands had gripped the outside edges of her desk tightly. It looked like she was ready to just rip chunks out of the grey desks. She hadn't turned towards the inquisitive boy, and just responded with a seeth, "It's another king."

     "Are you gonna be alright?" Marco placed a hand over her death grip. Her hands were becoming colder and discolored as she squeezed even tighter. He knew she would react like this. It was no surprise after their first meeting with Mr. Lucitor.

     It was then that the rest of the students had started to clamor around the windows. It was a spectacle to behold as Mr. Lucitor was chasing the stranger. Laughter could be heard from the intruder as the usually calm teacher seethed and failed to catch the man.

     Being in the back of the class, Janna's eyes left the spectacle and focused somewhere else. Her eyes shot darts at the back of Marco's head as he leaned in closely to Star. She couldn't hear what they were talking about, and she didn't really care.

     Whereas, Jackie had kept a collective look on her. She wasn't primarily interested in the teacher and stranger's antics. She just kept to herself and stuck her nose into the textbook. However, she was actually keeping an eye on Marco and Star. Now, Jackie did actually care about what the two were discussing in secret. Unlike the rest of the class who didn't know what was happening, those two looked like they clearly knew something.

     The class finally settled down as they could see Mr. Lucitor catch up to the man and actually grab him from his collar. They had decided it best to take some time to look over the material or at least back away from the view of the window. The last thing they could see was their substitute teacher dragging the intruder through the dirt, all the while they both yelled at each other in an unknown foreign language.

000

     Dave Lucitor plopped the King of Spades down on a bus bench outside of the school. He had been furious with the rival king. The entire time he was dragging the monster king, they both were yelling obscenities in Mewman at one another. The King of Spades made an attempt to get back up when the King of Clubs forced him back down.

     "Sit." Dave decided that it would be best to not further cause suspicion and just speak the Earth tongue. "Speak English, and tell me what this is about. What are you doing here, bothering me for? I'm _trying_ to teach."

     The golden orange haired man just crossed his arms kept quiet.

     "-Sigh- Fine. I don't care for your antics. I don't care what you do in your time, but don't bother me when I'm spending mine." The teacher got up in a huff and planned to get back to his class. He had already wasted so much time on catching the other king that he didn't have the patience to sit and wait for an answer.

     "-son."

     All Dave heard was a single word that stopped him in his tracks. It was something he hadn't expected the King of Spades to ever say. Immediately, he sat back down to listen.

     He couldn't believe he was going to actually entertain the monster king. "Say that again?"

     "Clean out your ears Lucitor. I said, I'm here to see my son." The King of Spades said matter-of-factly.

     The king of Clubs blinked at the opposite king, with mouth agape. And responded the only way he knew how, " _NUQ TLHIH'A'?! (YOUR WHAT?!)_ "


	30. Episode 10 - Chapter 02

Hoshi no Kirifuda  
Episode 10 - Chapter 02

Disclaimer:  
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred. These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes.

Author's Notes:

I am introducing Starfan13. But her name will be Defcy Naron, which is an obvious allusion to Daron Nefcy. Creator and writer of SvtFoE; and voice of Starfan13. I wanted to give her a real name, and I'm not entirely sure if I want to go down the route with her changing her name to Starfan13. But we'll cross that road when we get there.

Okay, I honestly do not like this chapter. -Sigh- By that I don't mean I don't like like it, but that I begrudgingly wrote it. I knew I had to explain somethings eventually, but I feel like this chapter is super wordy and that I repeat myself a lot. I don't know if I actually do, but I feel like there are some portions where I beat a dead horse. This chapter is MUCH longer than what I'm used to writing and because of that, I don't know how I exactly feel about it. It doesn't explain everything, but I think it has some necessary information that I just had to tell through exposition since I couldn't think of a way to show it. If you have the patience, please review this chapter. I feel like this one needs help.

Please keep the reviews coming, especially if it is constructive.

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     Eventually Mr. Lucitor had come back to the class. However, by the time he did, it was almost the end of the school day. So, instead of the planned quiz, he had assigned some homework to be done with partners. He expected it to be done within two days, and gave a due date by mid week. For the rest of the short time he had with the children, he just instructed them all to work on their homework. The Undead teacher looked like he was drained of his usual fervor.

     However, regardless of his state of being, he still planned to continue his extra lesson with Star and Marco. He informed both of them to quickly get some fast food from across the road and bring it back, after the last bell. This lesson may take some time, and he didn't want the kids listening on an empty stomach.

     Heeding his warning, Star and Marco quickly got together their things and headed to their lockers. They both planned to meet in front of the school and grab some food after talking to their project partners. Mr. Lucitor made it a point to assign both Star and Marco different partners.

     Star had been partnered up with another eccentric girl named Defcy Naron. Marco never spoke with the girl, but he didn't consider anything bad about her. She was just another girl who could compete Star in energy. In all honesty, he was more concerned if the two girls just didn't cause a nuclear explosion with their exuberant energy. On the other hand, Marco had been assigned to be partners with Jackie. Upon hearing the partner assignment, the boy nearly choked. He didn't know whether to be excited about spending time with the Californian girl, or guilty that he wouldn't be able to help Star.

     At Marco's locker, at the usual time, he met with up with his long time crush. Jackie was actually early and it surprised the boy. She wanted to talk to him about the assignment before she had to rush over to work.

     "Sup Diaz?" Jackie flashed him a smile.

     Upon seeing the target of his affections, his mouth went dry. He hadn't even actually steeled himself for the dance date yet. And here they were, days early on what might be an excuse for another date.

     He forced himself out of his daze. "Uh… nothing. I just wanted to ask, when would be a good time with you to work on the project?"

     The girl thought to herself for a second. She was always so busy with work after school, that she sometimes struggled with homework. If work didn't last so late she might be able to squeeze the boy in afterwards. However, no way in Hell was her dad going to be fine with her staying out late with a boy.

     "Y'know what? That's a good question. But I've got an idea, let me just make a quick phone call."

     Marco gave a shrug and replied, "Sure."

     Jackie took out her phone and dialed a number on her favorites list. The phone rang twice before it picked up. Jackie nonchalantly spoke on the phone, "Hey Boss. Sorry if you're busy but I've got a favor to ask. I've got a school project to finish and I was wondering if you could give me the day off?"

     There was a moment of silence. Marco couldn't hear what was happening on the other line, but he didn't really want to. It was her phone call, and it wouldn't be right for him to snoop.

     "Yeah, normally I wouldn't ask, but it is a group project. If I come into work, I won't have time to actually get it done."

     The girl rolled her eyes at her employer's response.

     "No, it isn't due tomorrow, but the day after. We just got the assignment today."

     There was another moment of silence. Marco could see the look of impatience on Jackie's face.

     "Yeah, sure. I can come in today since it is short notice. But tomorrow's cool right? Cool. Thanks Boss."

     After another moment, she hung up the cellphone and place it back into her pocket.

     He didn't want to rush the girl, but Marco realized he still had things to do with Mr. Lucitor and Star. "So?"

     "No worries Diaz. I've got tomorrow night off from work. We can finish up the project then. You got me all to yourself tomorrow night." She again flashed him a smile. "But, I still got to go in for tonight. So, I'll catch up with you laters." The girl got on her skateboard before her smile turned into a sly grin. "Before I forget, here's my number. I'll be busy tonight, but... feel free to text me."

     Marco tilted his head slightly, "About the project?"

     The cool girl just giggled and left the boy to ponder that question.

000

     Marco and Star decided to pick up some burgers from the joint across the street. They were lucky that Marco was a valued customer and their food was quickly made to order. And as quickly as they got their order they dashed back to school, not wanting to keep the teacher waiting for any longer.

     "Sorry about that Mr. Lucitor." Marco apologized as he handed the man a greasy paper bag.

     The teacher gave his student a soft smile before answering the apology, "I wasn't in any rush. And you didn't have to get me food. We Undead do not need to eat. But…" He eyed the greasy bag. "I will appreciate the thought. Food is a luxury after all." The teacher kindly took his student's offer and sat at his desk.

     The three sat in silence eating. The only sounds were their munching on the greasy burgers and fries. Marco and Star looked at each other, worried that their usually animated teacher was anything but. And they had only one guess as to why.

     "-Ahem- Mr. Lucitor, are you alright? You've been quiet the entire time." Marco decided to finally cut the silence.

     "Hmm." The teacher looked at Marco. He had spent the past few minutes pondering where he was going to begin. "Yes. I am fine," dryly spoke the king. He hadn't lied, he was perfectly fine, but was instead deep in thought. It was surprising that the King of Spades hadn't done anything, he hadn't done the usual and initiated a fight at all. Instead, he decided to just surprise Dave Lucitor with a story.

     "Are we going to go over anything? Or are we just going to sit here?" The boy asked.

     Both students were seated at their desks waiting for their instruction to start. Marco had finished his food a few bites ago, while Star was just finishing up her burger. Both of them had expected another long history lesson on Mewni. The last time they spent time after school, the teacher had just finished with his introduction of the Undead. And though they both were anticipating to hear more of the history, the air of uneasiness made it difficult to actually want to be here today.

     "-Sigh- Of course not." He continued to eye Marco, as if he was tracing the boy's face with his eyes.

     "Uh… do I have something on my face?" Marco wiped his face down with his last napkin.

     Finally, Star swallowed her last bite and inquired, "Does this have to do with that other King?"

     Mr. Lucitor chuckled, the girl wasn't wrong. "You're half correct. The other half…" Again, his gaze returned to Marco.

     "Can we have an explanation? I don't think we could stay here all night with you just being ambiguous." Star affirmed.

     "Fair enough. Let's start with some interesting facts."

     Both teens looked at each other in confusion. They didn't know where the King of Clubs was going with this.

     "Tell me, Marco Diaz, since you live on Earth, have you noticed anything familiar with the Undead ranking system?"

     He thought for a second before commenting on the obvious. "You mean how we have playing cards that follow the same theme? There are four suits like the four kingdoms of Mewni. We have face cards with Kings, Queens, and Jacks; plus the numbers One through Ten."

     "Yes, that," the teacher confirmed.

     "Are you saying that there is a connection there?" the boy asked.

     "Honestly, I don't know. There is a lot I do not know. However, let's just say that at the moment, your Earth card game was designed after Mewmen lore. Specifically, surrounding the Undead." He took a pause to breathe before directing a question, "You two do know that I am one of the Original Quartet? One of the first four Undead?"

     Both Star and Marco nodded in agreement. They both remembered being told something of the likes when Mr. Lucitor first introduced himself and in the previous history lesson they had been given.

     "Then, did you know that only two of the Original exist? Myself and the King of Spades."

     That bit of information perplexed Marco. "Wait… aren't Undead immortal?"

     "By design, yes, we are immortal. But that does not mean we cannot _pass_ on our immortality." The teacher smirked at Marco before continuing, "I believe you bore witness to the… what would you call it? Tradition? Yes, the succession by combat."

     Both Star and Marco were taken aback as Mr. Lucitor had known information they hadn't provided the man yet.

     "Uh… how did you know about that?" Star asked.

     The teacher didn't avert his gaze, but directed his answer to the girl. "Obviously, the King of Spades told me."

     With the gears turning in their heads, it became apparent to the both of the teens that the funny man from earlier was the King of Spades. Then in further puzzlement, they both hadn't expected the Monster King to be so… peculiar.

     Marco wasn't sure how to word his next statement without sounding insulting. "Okay… so that was the King of Spades? He's..." The boy trailed off.

     However amused, Mr. Lucitor completed it for him, "He's a character."

     "You mean to tell us that zany man was the King of Spades? The King of Monsters? The 'Only the strong survive' guy? What was he doing here?" Star curiously asked.

     The teacher couldn't help but chuckle. "Just so you both know, he's usually not like that. It is that… this time… he has found something to preoccupy himself with." He pointed at Marco.

     "Wait, me? Is- IS THAT WHY THE UNDEAD JUST CHALLENGED ME OUT OF NOWHERE?! WHY ME?!"

     Truthfully, Mr. Lucitor didn't want to believe it either. However, he had been told a fantastic story that made a lot of sense. He had been informed that at some point before the very end of the last Battle Royal, that the King of Spades had fallen in love. And in their throws of passion, the woman he had loved became pregnant with child. The only problem was that shortly after its birth, every Undead was eventually defeated and sealed. However, the King of Spades believed that Marco was a direct descendant of that child.

     Mr. Lucitor didn't know how to bring up the possibility of the boy's ancestry. So, instead he offered the other half of information he could at least prove for the time being. "Because, you are the Ace of Spades."

     Both teens gave a crestfallen look. They suddenly realized that their adventures as Kamen Riders were now more complicated than initially thought. They both figured that they were just going to seal away the Undead and be done with it. It hadn't crossed Marco that the cards they possessed would hold more value than just being sealed Undead or power up cards.

     "-Sigh- Let me finish explaining. See, just like in your card games, the King is the highest card in value. It is the most powerful. However, there is a single card that possesses the potential to be greater than a King."

     Marco pulled out the Ace of Spades from his deck holder. "The Ace…"

     "Yes. The Ace. You see, the Ace is given to the heir of that particular Undead kingdom." The teacher mused to himself, "The Johansens has an Ace. The Butterflies had Crescenta, but that title would belong to Star at the moment. My Ace... is... my... son. And unfortunately, Marco you are the current Ace of the Spades."

     "But I'm not Mewman or Undead!" Marco tried to correct.

     "No, you're not Undead. But you have the title, and that is all that matters." The teacher looked on as his student was nearly suffocating from the dread of the news he was given. However, he wasn't done with the bad news. "And unfortunately… the King of Spades has deemed you as… I guess the right word is: entertainment."

     Marco threw his arms up in the air in defeat. "I'm just a game to him?! WHY?"

     "Marco, I want you to understand something." Mr. Lucitor's expression became solemn. "I want you to understand that unlike the other three kingdoms, the King of Spades has _never_ had a real Ace. The last Blade wasn't officially the Ace. However, since last night, when you fought under the rite of succession, you officially were declared as such."

     Star listened, and yet something still bothered her. She knew how succession worked, and there were still rules to follow. It sounded like Mr. Lucitor had been deliberately hiding facts from the both of them. So, Star politely demanded, "Okay, we are missing more story here. I need you to tell me what you know Mr. Lucitor. It almost sounds like you are skirting around the facts." Star was disapponted with the selective information they were being given.

     "-Sigh- If I told you, I don't think either of you would believe it. I don't even believe it. Until I can confirm it, please excuse my lack of information." Their teacher truly had a look of sincerity. He just didn't want to misinform the children and have them fully panic. "For now, please accept the fact that Marco will be targeted by the King of Spades. He recognizes your strength and has declared you his heir apparent."

     "Fine. But what did you mean that the last Blade wasn't the Ace? If he wasn't then why am I?" Marco delved for more information.

     The room went quiet as the teacher pondered how to properly explain. "You mean _she._ The only other Blade before you was Queen Eclipsa Butterfly." Mr. Lucitor exclaimed.

     The news shocked both the teens. Neither had been informed that the last Blade was a Butterfly, but more so another Undead. This raised so many more questions.

     The Undead teacher put up a hand to signal the two students to stop fretting. "I know you two have questions. But before you can ask them. Let me take a few steps back. I don't think I've done a proper job on explaining. We kind of went off tangent when we started talking about the King of Spades and Eclipsa. I want to talk about the Undead."

     Marco empathized with the teacher. The boy knew that he was internally struggling to understand what was actually happening. However, that didn't excuse him to behave the way he was. Overreacting wouldn't help and it wouldn't let him actually listen to the situation.

     Star took note from Marco's calmness. She was mostly only excitable because of the boy's previous reactions. With him settled down to actually listen to their teacher, Star was more relaxed to do the same. She was so concerned with the boy's future that she hadn't been able to process everything. And so, she lashed out in her lack of information. She just wanted to help Marco.

     "Good. Let's start from where I left off last time." Mr. Lucitor was glad that as excitable teenagers went, that Marco had a reasonable head on his shoulders. And in turn, his demeanor seemed to always influence Star's.

     The King of Clubs decided to explain that when the Original Four were given the abilities to become Undead Kings, that each king was also given the rights to grant Undead abilities to a dozen they deemed worthy. After defeating The Great Leader and Shocker, the kingdoms began to fight among themselves. It wasn't just a political battle, but also a civil war from within each kingdom. With anyone being able to become an Undead by defeating one in combat, the allure of immortality was too irresistible. With so many Mewmen dying in attempts to become an Undead, the Kings went and beseeched Mewni once again. Except for the King of Spades, who found the predicament a new form of entertainment. However, unlike the first time, where there was an actual threat, Mewni offered the Mewmen a chance to win a wish of their choosing if they could win the Battle Royal. It was meant as a tournament to see who was the last remaining Undead. However, instead of quelling the violence, this merely instigated it. All the while no one had noticed the price of the Undead.

     Mr. Lucitor had a look of somber, and he gave an awkward grin. "I was the first to notice. The Lucitor kingdom was the Underworld." His voice cracked at the end. "You see the Lucitor Kingdom managed the guidance of souls to the afterlife. However, once the Battle Royal started, I noticed an oddity. Souls were no longer entering."

     "Wait… but regular people still died right?" Marco asked for clarification.

     Shameful tears welled up in the teacher's eyes. "Yes. I saw death every day. My people died fighting each other for power. The power that I had wished for. And… I had not realized the price of that power until it was too late."

     "You said something about sacrifice last time what was that about?" Star gently asked.

     The teacher gave a long winded sigh before answering. "Mortals are meant to die. That is how life is meant to be. However, immortality is an aberration. it is not meant to be. The price we paid for this accursed life span was…" Mr. Lucitor trailed off, not able to openly admit his wrongdoings.

     This time Marco finished his teacher's sentence. "The souls of the people."

     It made sense. Their wish had been answered via monkey's paw. The kings had wished to protect their people, ironically sacrificing the people's souls to fuel the strength they had asked for. This revelation made the air in the room heavy and tense.

     "But, there were babies right? More people?" Star optimistically asked.

     "By the time we had realized what was happening, it was too late. The Undead consumed more souls than could be generated." The grieving king sullenly looked down to avert his gaze. "We hadn't just traded their souls. When I demanded an answer, this is what I had been told by Glossaryck. What we actually exchanged was the future. Then to rub salt into our wounds, we were all told that immortal beings couldn't bear children. HAH! Apparently, there is no point in having children if you could live forever. We four Kings had selfishly sacrificed the future of our people for the present."

     "But you didn't know right? You didn't know it would turn out that way. You can't blame yourself. It… it… was Mewni's fault?" The idea that Star's reverend god was actually cruel to inflict this on the people that praised felt sickening.

     Marco stared at the weeping king. He now understood where the fallen king now stood. The man had set forth into motion the destruction of his own people. It made sense as to why the King of Clubs had decided to become a teacher. Having lost the future of his own people, he hoped to make repentance by ensuring the future of another. And so, Marco did the first thing that came to mind. He hugged the man until the sobbing cries stopped. He kept his arms wrapped around the king until he was sure to let the king know that he was not alone in his struggles. Star soon joined in and the three held each other. It had been so long, the King of Clubs had forgotten how it felt to actually cared for.

     Mr. lucitor rubbed his bloodshot eyes, "Thank you, both of you. I guess that's enough crying. I still have more to tell." He offered the students a weak smile.

     "If it's too hard on you, we can stop and continue another day?" Star offered.

     The three of them let go of their embrace, before the downtrodden king responded, "No. It would be best that I try to finish this. We won't have much time after this."

     The two teens looked in confusion at their teacher. It sounded like the world was going to end from the tone of the man's voice. But surely that wasn't the case, was it?

     He saw their faces, and decided to reassure them that it wasn't the worse case scenario. "Don't worry. It isn't time for the final exam, neither of you are ready to do that… Yet. No, after today, our lessons are going to be more practical focused."

     "Practical?" Marco asked.

     "Yes, I have been asked to prepare you." He pointed at Marco. "The King of Spades will only wait so long before he comes after you personally."

     Now it was Marco's turn to be distressed. His life was taking drastic turns and every step he took seemed to escalate everything. He wondered if he still had a chance to live a normal life again.

     Star smacked the upset boy on the back. "Don't worry Marco, I got you and you got me!" She gave him a large and cheery smile.

     After some encouragement between the three, the teacher continued his history lesson. He basically ended up in the end telling the two that eventually the Undead would come to be sealed by Eclipsa. However, he didn't know how she had gotten her hands on the Blay Buckle. Nor did he know what her wish was. It really wasn't much new information, since he himself was sealed early on he had only surmised what had happened from the knowledge provided after his reawakening.

     With the long lesson and emotional rollercoaster they had spent together, everyone was ready to go home. Night was approaching and unfortunately, the kids still had homework. Apologetic on his part, Mr. Lucitor told the children that he would take them home. They were surprised at his offer, but they didn't decline it. More surprisingly, they discovered that the Undead King's mode of transportation was the least gas efficient Hummer. When questioned about it, he merely said that he chose the vehicle for its tactical uses. Marco held a concern for the environment, but he was actually glad that it would be easy for them to also transport his bicycle.

     Upon arriving at the Diaz residence, Mr. Lucitor introduced himself to the Diaz's before apologizing for keeping the children too long. However, as he was leaving, he noticed a small blue man wave at him. Glossaryck had been watching like always. The teacher was just about to get back into his vehicle when Star stopped him.

     "Uh… I'm sorry Mr. Lucitor. I forgot to ask. But it is about the whole souls thing." Star begrudgingly asked, it was a question she had from before, but she didn't know if she wanted to actually hear the answer. "I- I- come from Mewni, and there are still people… and… Crescenta kept saying the same thing. But, I want to know..."

     He knew what the girl was going to ask about. He'd just given her a lesson in Mewmen history that conflicted with her previous understanding. "Star. I will be frank with you. When I tell you that everything was lost, I mean that. Before the Battle Royal ended, the only remaining Mewmen were the fifty-two Undead. We had devoured the entire civilization. I don't know what answer you're looking for because I truly don't know. If you want answers… pray to Mewni. He may not be the most caring god, but even after everything: the undead Curse, the Battle Royal, and the loss of my people; I still think he is a _fair_ god. He listened to our woes and provided us with a choice. You may disagree with me, but pray to him for an answer, for he sees all." And with that, he gave the girl a pat on the head before leaving.


	31. Episode 10 - Chapter 03

Hoshi no Kirifuda  
Episode 10 - Chapter 03

Disclaimer:  
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred. These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes.

Author's Notes:

Please keep the reviews coming, especially if it is constructive.

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     "Good day Mr. Lucitor." A glowing bird man greeted.

     "-Scoff- Don't call me that Toffee. I'm not my father."

     "Of course, of course, my mistake." Toffee gave a toothy grin with his beak.

     Sitting across the table was a young man, who looked to be in his teens. He had pale skin with a very light violet hue; it almost looked like his skin was made of muted lilac flowers. He brushed aside his salmon pink hair, revealing his three crimson eyes. He had two eyes placed where they normally would be, the third on his forehead. On the sides of his temples were two pale rustic orange horns.

     Toffee eyed the young Undead and gave a compliment, "I like your style, who's your tailor? I will have to get in contact with him."

     The young Lucitor wore a simple black French styled suit jacket, with red diamonds on each lapel. His pants were of the same color and were held up with a thick black belt. He wore a white buttoned up shirt with protruding collars; tied around his neck was a very loose thin black tie in a single windsor knot.

     "Oh you like it? I think my man Brian can help you out. For an Earthling, he knows his stuff. I'll introduce you to him. Heh." The young Lucitor boasted. "But… I don't think I came here just to talk about clothes. Especially since you're always so well immaculate."

     Toffee knew that the young Undead was just being facetious. Under the cool exterior of the young Lucitor was a bottomless pit of red hot magma and anger. He looked at the time and decided that it would be best to drop the pleasantries, "Why thank you Prince Lucitor. But I think it would be best in both of our interest to move onto business, hmm?"

     "I agree. I only took your invitation because… you said something about my request?" The prince wickedly smiled, revealing his sharp teeth.

     "I did… However, it isn't fully tested yet…"

     "Then I showed up for _nothing_? Are you just wasting my _time_? I don't like being _toyed_ with Toffee." Prince Lucitor's voice soured, a sharp anger leaked through his words.

     "Oh no, no, no. I would never." A sly smile was apparent on Toffee's beak. "I only said it wasn't fully tested, but that doesn't mean that the product isn't finished."

     From beneath the table Toffee pulled out a black, gold, and purple device. It was about the size of modern cell phone, but thicker. The purple oval design on it was embellished with gold. Prince Lucitor looked pleased as Toffee slid the device across the table.

     "To your specifications. We've also made changes from the prototype. It no longer uses the simple 'open up' feature. As you can see, you insert into the slot and slide it open. Which allows a smaller size and is much less of a burden of weight. Instead a unmoving transformation screen, it will be pulled towards you, with the similar feature of protection the prototype uses."

     The young Lucitor took it into his hands and traced the cold metal it was made out of. "You've outdone yourself Toffee. It looks like my trust in you wasn't wasted after all."

     "And, because we've attuned it to you, it provides twice the power the prototype has. Without the prototype's need to adjust to the user, it will unleash your potential. Truly armor fitting a… _king_."

     Toffee's last word rang in Prince Lucitor's mind. The head of Mew-Shocker knew the exact way to manipulate the young Undead. All it took was the right words.

     The prince smirked, "That's what I plan to do. I've already witnessed what the original could do, surely this upgrade is all I need to win this Battle Royal. Keh-ke-ke-keh!"

     'Now to reel the fish in,' Toffee thought to himself. "-Ahem- However…"

     The prince did not like the sound of that. " _However?_ "

     "There is a minor detail-" The small birdman tried to address before a loud repetitive sound could be heard from his breast pocket. "-Sigh- I apologize, this seems to be an emergency." He pulled out a thin black flip phone from out of the pocket and answered it.

     The Lucitor prince was not entertained. He had believed that he was well on his way to winning his prize when it sounded like Toffee was about to give him bad news. And then conveniently they were interrupted by someone even more important than him? Prince Lucitor wasn't going to have it. The air started to heat up around him.

     Toffee calmly answered the phone, "This better be important."

     He listened to the voice on the other side. It was Ludo's daughter.

     "I am currently busy with a client. And you called me for something so trivial?"

     Toffee rolled his eyes as he could feel the stinging heat from the prince.

     "-Sigh- When do you have to get the project done? Today?"

     At least Ludo's daughter was responsible enough at times to call in. Unlike some other Earthlings who worked for him. Was good work ethic so hard to find these days?

     "I can't have you miss out on today. We have a new piece of equipment that needs immediate attention. However, I suppose after tonight, it'll need time to calibrate. Would tomorrow work better for you? Yes, you may have tomorrow, we won't need you then."

     Toffee wasn't exactly happy to give the girl another day off. She made it clear how important getting this weekend off was for her. If it wasn't for the fact that there would be no moon out the night she asked for, he would've told her no. And now, she was pushing her luck with asking for another day in the same week. 'I guess I do work her extremely hard anyways.'

     "You're lucky your father is a good friend of mine. Now, I expect to see you here as soon as possible. The longer you take, the longer we take with work." He hung up the phone and placed it back into his pocket.

     After his phone call, Toffee took a gander at the Lucitor prince. The chair the prince was seated on had already turned into charcoal. The temper tantrum Prince Lucitor was having would cost him a pretty penny to replace all the burnt furniture. He sighed, and wondered how was he going to salvage this.

     " _Done?_ " seethed Prince Lucitor.

     "Clearly. I apologize, that was Garren. It seems an emergency had popped up."

     " _Oh?_ " The prince heard most of the conversation and it seemed to be anything but an emergency. He may not have heard Garren, but Toffee's demeanor visibly wasn't shaken.  " _And?_ "

     Toffee just offered a simple smile. "Crisis averted. Now, I believe I was about to inform you of something before we were interrupted?"

     " _Yes. Go on. Depending on what you say, your life may be forfeit._ " Flames now raged around the prince, leaving scorches on the ceiling and burning away the table.

     Toffee glanced at the damages and calculated how much this was going to cost him. Then he focused back at Prince Lucitor and answered unperturbed, "I was saying that you can't use the Leangle Buckle-"

     Prince Lucitor threw the buckle at Toffee. " _ **What good is this if i can't use it!**_ "

     Toffee swiftly reached out and caught the buckle before it slammed into his face. "Careful now, this doesn't come cheap. Calm down and listen to what I have to say. I said that you can't use it as you currently are."

     Flames burst forth, " **EXPLAIN!** "

     "-Sigh- The Rider System cannot be used by Undead. There is something inherent in the Undead that prevents growth. The Rider System is based on _CHANGE_ , and Undead do not change. Simply put, you are immortal therefore you are unchanging."

     The Undead prince walked through the burnt table. His flames disintegrated what remained and he easily cut through like a hot knife through butter. He was going to kill Toffee.

     The glowing birdman just chuckled to himself. 'Maybe I should thank the child for calling me earlier. It made this so much easier with the prince literally burning himself up over this. On second thought, I still might administer some discipline later. Doesn't anyone know how expensive all of this is going to cost to fix?'

     Toffee raised a hand in motion to stop to Prince Lucitor. "There is still a way for you to use it."

     The fire cloaked prince stopped in his tracks and with a stone-face demanded an answer, " **TELL ME.** "

000

     "Colonel Toffee, is it wise to give in to the demands of the Ace of Clubs?" Buff Frog asked as he was sweeping up what remained of the furniture.

     Toffee just laughed, "Oh Buff Frog, that was always part of the plan. Though… my only regret is having to replace the furniture again. Undead can be so uncouth."

     "What would happen if you were injured? Or worse, died?"

     "Not a possibility. The prince desperately needs us. And even if he would've attempted something, I am more than a match for him." Toffee continued to laugh, knowing that the prince was playing to his tune. "So, let him be the guinea pig. We even offered support in finding him a suitable host, but he refused. Let him do as he wishes, it'll produce better results for us."

     The frogman continued to clean up as he saw Colonel Toffee bend over in pain. "Sir!"

     Heaving, Toffee motioned for the minion to stop. "I'm fine, I just need rest. I will be in my resting quarters. Bring Ambassador Ludo his medication, he'll need it when he wakes up."

     Toffee limped towards a hidden door behind a curtain. The heavy door creaked open as he carried himself through the threshold. He ignored Buff Frog as the minion gave the Shocker salute.

     "Yes sir! YEE! COLONEL TOFFEE! MEW-SHOCKER BANZAI!"


	32. Episode 11 - Chapter 01

Hoshi no Kirifuda  
Episode 11 - Chapter 01

Disclaimer:  
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred. These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes.

Author's Notes:

I am sorry that I have been so late with this episode. Real life things happened and I just couldn't find time to write. But I don't think you actually care about that, you're here for story time.

Please keep the reviews coming, especially if it is constructive.

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     "-ARGH!- NOT ONCE, BUT TWICE MARCO! TWICE!" Star infuriatingly hollered.

     Marco cringed as he dug into his ear trying to clear the ringing caused by Star's loud wailing. "Star, you don't have to be so loud. I'm right next to you."

     The girl had been like this since last night. Shortly after Mr. Lucitor dropped them off at home, Defcy showed up to start on her project with Star. It went as well as one would expect from the two energetic girls. They might as well have been fireworks going off inside the house. But the pair didn't get very far into it when Star politely asked the girl to leave due to a "family emergency." Star quickly grabbed Marco before also leaving the house dragging the boy behind. There was an Undead and Star wasn't going to miss out an opportunity to seal it. However, things didn't go as planned.

     Marco bit into his sandwich and swallowed before continuing, "I understand you're still mad at the other Rider. But you can't blame them forgetting to the Undead before we did. You'll get the next one."

     "OF COURSE I WILL!" Star defiantly pointed towards the sky. "WHO DO YOU THINK I AM?! I AM STAR BUTTERFLY, PRINCESS OF MEWNI!"

     "Yes, yes. Now, Princess, as your squire, may I remind you that it would behoove you to finish your lunch before time runs out. Heh. I don't think Mr. Lucitor was very happy all the other times you were snacking in class."

     Star begrudgingly sat down next to Marco and shoveled her lunch into her mouth.

     Marco understood the girl's frustrations. He knew how important this task was for Star. And the appearance of this other Kamen Rider also irked Marco. He was just beginning to wrap his head around the information explained by Mr. Lucitor, and the addition of a new Rider just hurt his head.

     He chewed in silence as he remembered their confrontation from the night before. Just like last time, upon arriving, they witnessed the mysterious Kamen Rider already finishing the job. However, unlike last time, Marco was able to get a better look. The unknown Rider's silver armor prominently stood out against its skin-tight red suit. This time he could clearly see feminine curves. It wasn't because the mysterious Rider was a girl that bothered him, Star was a girl and a Rider, but her very familiar hourglass shape. And then to further cement his worries, she clearly had a similar belt buckle like his, except instead of a spade, a diamond was in its place.

000

     Class went as well as Marco had expected it to. Mr. Lucitor picked on Star, much to her chagrin. Marco always enjoyed their antics. It would do the girl some good to actually take her lessons serious for once. But then again, he guessed that she didn't care for Earth lessons if ultimately the girl was going to eventually go back home.

     'Huh, I guess I hadn't given much thought into it.' he silently mused to himself. He had been so caught up in his adventuring with Star that he hadn't considered what would happen after the Battle Royal. Would Star leave right after the Undead were taken cared of? What would Marco do after all of this? He been living a regular life with plans for a regular future. Obviously recent events have made it anything but normal. He had become a Kamen Rider and faced numerous monsters. Life would be quite boring again after returning the Blay Buckle.

     'Wait. Would I have to return it? Glossyrck only leant it to me. If Star is after the Undead, it would mean that I'd have to give her all of the Undead in my possession in the end, right?' He reasoned that he would eventually have to give up his Kamen Rider powers.

     'NO! They're your powers!' The Voice rang inside his head. ' _You_ earned them, not her. Why should you give up anything? It was _your_ blood and sweat that grasped victory. It's _our_ power, _**our**_ right.'

     Marco shook his head in an attempt to drown out the Voice. To add even further distress on his plate, the mysterious Voice had been frequently interrupting his daily thoughts. At first it had been just small things that he attributed to being young. The Voice would attempt to tempt him into… "admiring" the girls around him. It was only natural at his age to be interested in the opposite sex. However, what wasn't natural was the Voice. It had coaxed him on multiple occasions to catch glimpses of Star, Jackie, and even Janna. He almost convinced himself that his recent actions with Janna to have been the fault of the Voice. But he knew the truth, even if the Voice was at fault for tempting him, he was still the one who gave into it.

     He gave a heavy sigh. And now, the Voice became even more insistent, always at the back of his head. Nagging him about everything. Everything that he reluctantly admitted that deep down inside he... desired. The adventure. The girls. The power.

     'Whatever, right now I have to concentrate on helping Star. That's what's important.'

000

     "Both of you will run laps until I tell you to stop." Mr. Lucitor ordered Marco and Star with the Spartan command.

     Both of them groaned. They had expected that their after school lesson with the Undead teacher to be more productive. Instead this instruction felt anything but.

     Marco really wanted some sort of instructions in fighting techniques. However, after many years with Sensei Brantley, Marco understood that the basics were the most important thing. To have a strong foundation before you could build tower of techniques.

     On the other hand, Star was very frustrated at being treated like a newborn. She disliked being told what to do by the teacher, in or out of the classroom. Though she appreciated his willingness to share information and history, she still held her pride as a princess. She was ready for bigger and better things, and didn't care for the basics.

     Mr. Lucitor knew that the two had expected more from their after school classes with him, and to be partially truthful, he started simple just for the laughs. He would eventually get to real instructions in combat soon enough. The two teens should appreciate the slower pace, when life was soon going to throw everything and the kitchen sink at them. The other reason why he instructed them both to go through these endurance tests was because he wanted to verify what the King of Spades had told him about Marco. If the boy truly was the king's descendant, Dave Lucitor would have to see with his own eyes.

     After an hour of many endurance tests, Mr. Lucitor saw that it was evident that neither teen had actually broken a sweat. He wasn't entirely sure if he should've been attributing it to their Kamen Rider or naturally born abilities. He made a note to increase their stress load the next day.

     "Alright, alright. I've got a good picture as to where you two are. Physically. And you both exceed my expectations. I'll have to make it harder next time." The teacher praised the two teens. "Now, get home you two. I believe you owe me an assignment tomorrow."

     Marco bowed towards Mr. Lucitor, "Yes sir. Arigatou gozaimashita."

     "Don't thank me yet, you'll be cursing me out once I turn up the difficulty." The Undead teacher grinned.

000

     "Hey Star, you can take the bike home. I'm supposed to meet up with Jackie at the library."

     "Oh… okay… have fun."

     Marco raised an eyebrow, "Star, do you need me to take you home? You're not going to get lost will you?"

     "-pfft- Nah. Don't worry about me. I know how to get home." She offered him a reassuring smile.

     "Alright. I'll see you later tonight." He waved at the girl as he walked towards the direction of the library.

     She waved back until he was no longer in sight. Her shoulders sagged and a look of dejection awashed Star.

     "-sigh- Stupid Marco."

000

     Marco was ecstatic, he was on a date with Jackie Lynn Thomas. Well… not really a date. It was only homework related he had to remind himself. But the idea of spending time alone with Jackie gave him goosebumps.

     He walked through large heavy wooden doors and entered a large building with books littered on the walls. Marco had finally arrived at the library. The smell of stale old books filled his nostrils.

     He pulled out his phone and sent Jackie a text, letting her know that he had arrived.

     His phone vibrated, and Marco read the message from Jackie.

_You're it. Come find me._

     He softly chuckled in amusement and started towards the back of the library. He walked past several other students also here to finish their assignments. Some were nose deep in a textbook. While others were struggling to find whatever material they were looking for. Now, if only he could find what he was looking for.

     Marco looked behind every book case. But there was still no sign of Jackie. He was about to just give up and call Jackie, when someone pulled his hoodie over his eyes.

     Marco quickly pulled his hood back to reveal the assailant. "That's not fun-"

     In front of him was his query. She was wearing a white spaghetti string tank top and a pair of loose turquoise shorts that hung at her hips. Around her neck was her usual golden shell necklace.

     Jackie cocked her hips and gave Marco an impish grin. "Heh, face it, Tiger… you just hit the jackpot."


	33. Episode 11 - Chapter 02

Hoshi no Kirifuda  
Episode 11 - Chapter 02

Disclaimer:  
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred. These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes.

Author's Notes:

Please keep the reviews coming, especially if it is constructive.

000000

     Star had been laying down on her bed. She didn't find it difficult to get back home, and had discovered that Defcy was already waiting for her. She enjoyed the girl's exuberant energy, and the two quickly finished their project. Honestly, Star would've asked her to keep her company longer, but she admitted that it wouldn't be fair to the girl. Star just wasn't in the mood for guests. She just really missed her beauty marked squire.

     "Star?"

     She lifted her head from her pillow and peered through her hair to see Glossaryck. He had his fingers interlocked, floating just above her head. She rolled her eyes at him before dropping her face back into the pillow.

     "Seriously Star?" Glossaryck smacked his lips in disbelief.

     The girl mumbled a stifled reply into her pillow.

     Glossaryck slowly blinked, "What is with these kids and talking into furniture?"

     Again, Star responded by inhaling her pillow.

     "-Sigh- Star, if that's the way you feel… Oh hi Marco!"

     Star shot straight up, her head darting back and forth. Only for her to realize that it was merely a ruse by Glossaryck. Her eyes shot a cold piercing stare at the small man.

     "Oh don't look at me like that. You were the one who was being rude. I just had to say something to… get you to talk. Now what is wrong?" Glossaryck floated down to the bed and sat next to Star. "Don't tell me that you're just missing the boy."

     "-Ack- Uh… no? -Sigh-" Star was always perturbed by Glossaryck when he seemed to know exactly what was going on.

     The wizened old man just chuckled to himself. "That doesn't sound very convincing. Is there something besides the boy that is on your mind? Feeling homesick?"

     Star bit her bottom lip. He was right, sure she may have missed Marco's presence, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. What really ate at her currently was the uncertainty that Mr. Lucitor had fed her. After hearing his recent stories of Mewni and its people, how could Star not be worried? Star reluctantly decided that this would probably be the best time to ask Glossaryck. It was one of the few times the small blue man was in a talkative mood.

     "Uhm… Glossaryck? Can… can you tell me what happened during the last Battle Royal?"

     He raised in eyebrow at the blonde girl. It wasn't the first time she had asked him a question, usually she asked just for the answer. This time, it sounded like Star was critically thinking. It surprised him, it was beyond his expectations that Star would be capable of reflecting.

     "What brought about the curiosity?"

     "Marco and myself have been listening to stories from Mr. Lucitor. And he's said somethings that I find hard to believe."

     He wrapped his arms across his chest. "And what has he said?"

     Star wrapped her right arm towards her left elbow and began to scratch it. She slightly turned her head away from the little man, not entirely sure what to inquire. "Uhm… he said something about the Undead consuming souls…"

     "Yes. They do." Glossaryck confirmed.

     Star stayed silent.

     The diminutive man continued through the silence. "Shocked at the news? No, wrong word, it isn't news is it. Must be hard to hear the truth."

     "W-why?" Star whimpered.

     "Hmm… let me explain, maybe it'll help alleviate your troubles. Nothing but the Gods themselves are meant to be immortal. When the Undead were made, an aberration in life came to be: an unnatural immortality. And with that power came a price. The souls of the dead fueled the Undead. In all honesty, it was not Mewni's intention to have all of Mewni devoured. The Undead were meant as the last bastion against those who would harm the people. However… with power came war. Mewmen killed one another for the power of the Undead. The rate of new life could not keep up with death. And the Undead only absorb souls of those who have already died. It isn't like they were just eating the people all willy nilly. By the time they had figured out what had happened, it was too late."

     Star sniffled, "But- Then- Where do _I_ come from? If all the Mewmen were eventually devoured, how do _I_ exist?"

     "Star. You came from Mewni."

     "And? What about my family? My kingdom?" Star thrashed on her bed demanding answers.

     Glossaryck pitied the girl. He knew the truth, but he wasn't permitted to tell her. Moreso, he didn't want to be the one to give her the bad news.

     "Star… I was asleep with the Undead as long as they were sealed away. The answers you are looking for, maybe you should pray to Mewni. He does know all."

     Star growled and raised her fist at the blue man, "But don't you speak for him?! Can't you just tell me?"

     Glossaryck slowly pushed her fist away from his face. He sighed, "Star, there are some things I can and cannot say. If you want the truth, then pray. But understand this, sometimes the truth is better left alone. Now if you'll excuse me, I am quite parched."

     Star's eyes followed Glossaryck as he floated out of her room and shut the door behind him.

     "-Pfft- Like as if I prayed Mewni would just answer me."

     A loud thump could be heard from Star's desk. She looked over to see that Glossaryck's book had opened itself.

000

     "No Marco, that's not how you spell: pronunciation. There is only one O." Jackie was reaching over the boy, giving him a clear view of her cleavage.

     "Uh… yeah, thanks." Marco nervously sweated.

     Jackie was quite aware that Marco was staring. It was her full intention to give him a tease. She enjoyed how flustered he got around her. Not wearing a bra was the right choice.

     'Is she… But I don't see… She's not wearing a bra is she?' Marco tried to avert his eyes, but his curiosity was winning him over.

     They had been working for the past few hours on their assignment. And luckily enough, without many distractions, they were almost finished. Both of them just finished reviewing their work.

     "And... looks like we are done." Jackie proudly smiled at Marco. They had both worked incredibly hard and fast. What should've been a two day project crammed into a few hours worth of time.

     Marco stretched and returned the smile, "You… wanna go get something to eat? I- I mean if you want to. I don't know what time you got to be home."

     Jackie pulled out her phone and looked at the time; it was just half past six. She was usually out late working, so her dad probably wouldn't say anything. But that doesn't mean she couldn't mess with Marco a bit.

     "Hmm… I would love to… but…" A sly smile creeped on her face.

     Marco scratched the back of his head, trying to act casual. "Oh no, no, I get it. You gotta get home. It isn't like I expected you to say yes. We were just out doing homework. And you've still got to get home. I wouldn't want to-"

     Jackie put a finger on his lips. "Marco. I was just going to say, let me text my dad first. Sometimes you talk too much." She giggled at his stupefied look and continued to give her dad a heads up that she wasn't going to need dinner tonight. "Okay. Let's go."

     "You wanna hit up the In-N-Out?" Marco asked as he was packing up his belongings.

     The Californian girl licked her lips and replied, "A burger sounds amazing right now."

     It was then that Marco realized that he had leant his bike to Star. And the In-N-Out was a bit of a distance away.

     "I just forgot, Star took my bike. Did you want to get something closer?"

     Jackie's wicked smile widened with an idea. "No problem dude. We'll just take my board. I've got enough space for two, _if_ you don't mind holding on."

     Marco's mind was racing and his teenager hormones ran rampant. He was going to get a chance get extremely close to his dream girl. And then deep in his mind, he could hear The Voice talk about all the things it'd like to do with the girl. Doubt crept into his mind as he became worried over what he might do with temptation.

     "Uh… you sure?" He was trying to gently turn down the girl's offer. "I've never been on a skateboard before. I don't want to impose."

     "You? Impose? Hah! I'm the one imposing, Marco. C'mon, I'll teach ya, it'll be fun."

     Her smile made it difficult for him to refuse.

     "Alright, fine. You convinced me."

000

     Star had been told by Glossaryck multiple times to never touch his book. Something about being forbidden and whatnot. But it isn't like the princess never disobeyed the old man. So, what would be the harm of just doing so this one time? Especially when Star was curious as to why the book opened by itself without Glossaryck around.

     She had seen the old man talk to the book. Honestly she attributed it to him just being an old person, crazy, and delusional. However, she may have to adjust her frame of thinking. She could've sworn that the golden book was closed. Glossaryck made it a point to have the book shut whenever he wasn't around. Which made it more perturbed that the book had opened itself in front of Star.

     Star got off her bed and made it to her desk. The musky book was now opened to blank pages. Star's fingers traced the white page. It didn't feel like the textbooks she had been given at school. It felt rough, she wasn't sure what the paper was made out of. She had once asked Marco about how there was easily ready paper for everyone to use, since in Mewni, paper was a royal commodity. He mentioned something about turning wood into paper. She still found it difficult at times when Marco kept a constant reminder that Earth had no magic.

     She shook her head, trying to focus back on the large golden book. As she continued to trace the blank page, Star could hear a whisper in her ear. It told her to turn the pages. As if in a trance, Star did as she was told. She flipped through the book, revealing blank page after blank page. Only for her to stop on the first not blank page.

     The pages were a deep purple color. On the left page were neon runes written in ancient Mewman. On the right page was what looked to be a glowing purple light that casted itself upon a group of cloaked figures. In large bold letters the page was titled 'THE ALLSEEING EYE.'

     Being the ever diligent student she was, Star obviously never paid attention to her princess classes about the ancient language. She wasn't going to be able to read the runes, so she gave up on them. However, her fingers continued to trace the runes, following each line carefully as if to engrain the words into her finger tips. And again a whisper in the deadly silent room commanded Star to recite the words.

     " _I pray to the Allseeing Eye; to tear a hole into the sky; reveal to me that which is hidden;_ _ **unveil to me what is forbidden**_ _."_

     The room shuddered and darkness enveloped Star's surroundings. Star fell back onto the floor on her bum in surprise as a large purple haze rose from the book. The haze erupted into bright purple and golden flames as a giant yellow eye opened itself in front of Star.

     "What did I do? What did I do? Oh no, Glossaryck isn't going to be happy if he finds out I messed with his book. And what about Marco?! What is he going to do when he finds out I burned his house down?!"

     Star looked at the large eye, it had a slit for its pupil and it constantly followed Star's movements. The flames around it emitted no heat and wasn't actually doing any harm to its surroundings. Star sighed in relief, at least that was one thing she wouldn't have to worry about. She looked back at the golden book and remembered what she had just read from. She must've summoned the Allseeing Eye.

     "I know he's probably going to yell at me, but I wonder where Glossaryck is? He probably knows how to-"

     As if it could hear Star, the Allseeing Eye shut its eyelid and opened up to reveal Glossaryck. She could see the small man in front of the opened refrigerator. He had opened up the carton of milk and was chugging it down.

     "Ew… Glossaryck… that's disgust-." Star covered her mouth in fear that the little man might hear her through the vision of the eye. But when it was apparent that the blue old man hadn't heard a single word, Star sighed in relief.

     "So… this thing can see whatever I want it to?" Star pondered for a second. She scratched her head, wondering what she should look at next. "Oh, I know. Please show me Mewni."

     The Eye closed its lid and opened them to reveal the Forest of Certain Death.

     "Uh… could you show me my parents?"

     Again, the Eye blinked. However, this time when it opened it looked like the snow channel on Marco's television.

     "That's not right… Oh, maybe I can't ask for more than one person? Mom and dad could be doing different things right now. Please show me Queen Butterfly."

     The Eye blinked again, this time revealing a fierce a fierce looking woman with red hair. Star didn't recognize the woman.

     "Wrong again. -Ugh- One more time. Show me Queen Moon Butterfly the Undaunted."

     Once again the Allseeing Eye blinked, revealing nothing but static again.

     "-UGH!- The stupid thing is broken! Can't even see the simplest things." Star racked her brain and ground her teeth. "Whatever, I gotta figure out how to put this thing away before Glossaryck finds me."

     Star looked into the book, hoping to find further instructions. But there was nothing except for the runes she read. Furthermore, the pages refused to turn as if they were glued together. Summoning the Allseeing Eye had prevented Star from flipping through the book for an answer. She groaned in frustration and banged her head against the desk.

     "I wish Marco was here. He's smart, I bet he'd figure out how to put the book away. I wonder what he's doing right now."

     The Allseeing Eye answered her request. It blinked and slowly opened up for Star to see.

000

     "Thanks for getting dinner Marco. I always love getting some animal style." Jackie patted Marco on the back.

     He grinned, "It's nothing, let's just say that its payment for the skateboard lesson?"

     They both jovially laughed. It was a great night, they had finished their homework faster than expected and they both just finished dinner. Marco was worried at first getting on the skateboard, but Jackie was actually a really good teacher. She instructed him how to keep balance. And she wasn't kidding when she said that there was enough room for both of them on it, albeit she held him tightly from behind. He wasn't complaining, and at least he knew the answer to his question from before. The girl was not wearing a bra.

     Marco was putting on his helmet strap and he was still wondering what kind of magic trick did Jackie use. He understood that jackie had a helmet for herself, but when she pulled a second one from behind her out of thin air he was so confused. He could've sworn that only Star was magical. Or had he been living under a rock and there had been magic all around him and he just didn't notice it?

     "Hey, you confident enough to be on the back and push?" Jackie asked him.

     His grin deepened, "You know what? I'm feeling pretty great right now. Yeah, I'll kick."

     The two had decided that they would skateboard Marco home before Jackie went home herself. She didn't actually live that far away from him, approximately half a block. So, Marco wasn't too worried about her getting into too much trouble. And from what she had shown him on the skateboard, he didn't think that anyone would be able to catch her if she was serious on it.

     Marco got on top of the skateboard first, getting a balance and kept it steady for Jackie to hop on. From there, Marco did as Jackie had instructed and easily kicked the skateboard. However, unlike Jackie, Marco kept a bit of distance between the two. He wasn't exactly comfortable getting that close to the girl yet.

     "Y'know Diaz, you can get closer if you want. It is a bit chilly tonight, we can… keep eachother warm." Jackie said as the wind rushed by.

     His throat went dry. "Uh…"

     Jackie slowed down the skateboard and took Marco's hands that clutched at her hips and pulled them tighter around her. His arms now rested beneath her mounds and his chest pressed against the warmth of her back.

     "See, better, right? Hehe." Jackie continued to giggle at the stunned boy.

000

     Glossaryck returned to Star's room. His beard was still wet from the milk. He saw that Star was curled up beneath her blankets. His gaze then turned towards the golden book. It was neatly closed, just as he had left it.

     "Star? Are you sleeping? Kind of an early night to do so. You're going to sleep through Undead attacks." Glossaryck aptly pointed out.

     Star hesitated to rely, "I- I don't feel too well right now Glossaryck. I think I should skip out on Undead hunting tonight. It wouldn't be a great idea to get hurt because I wasn't at 100%."

     "Hmm. Alright. Should I tell Marco?"

     There was a moment of silence.

     "Uh… no. I wouldn't want to worry him just because I need some sleep. -sniff-"

     "Oh, okay then. Good night Star." Glossaryck turned around and shut her room.

     Glossaryck had heard the girl sniffle. He may not have been in the room, however he had a rough idea as to what had transpired. The girl had prayed to Mewni and was now facing the consequences for the truth.

     But of course, he was unaware of Star dripping tears from her eyes. She had been a witness Marco and Jackie enjoying themselves. From what Star could tell, they were awfully close and almost intimate. And due to the shock of the scene, the Allseeing eye was dispelled just in time before Glossaryck had entered the room. Star hoped that he wasn't aware of what she had been up to.


	34. Episode 11 - Chapter 03

Hoshi no Kirifuda  
Episode 11 - Chapter 03

Disclaimer:  
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred. These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes.

Author's Notes:

Please keep the reviews coming, especially if it is constructive.

000000

     Marco was in his transformed state. Wearing his silver and black Kamen Rider Blade armor. Standing beside him was a silver and red Kamen Rider. And in front of them was a feline looking Undead. Marco retraced the moments that lead to this.

     He was enjoying his night with Jackie and they were both on their way home. Both giggling on the skateboard, when suddenly the Undead had jumped in front of them, knocking them onto the ground. Collecting his bearings, he had taken a good look at the Undead under the moonlight.

     The Undead wore mostly black armor with a pale gray chest piece. Where there wasn't armor, he could see what he guessed to be yellow fur with black designs, similar to either a jaguar. Its face was difficult to discern, if it even had a face. It almost looked like a mask, made out of the same material as its black armor. All he could tell was that it had a nose and fangs where its mouth should be.

     Quickly discerning that they were both in trouble, Marco quickly got back up and stood between Jackie and the Undead. Jackie soon got up and was dusting herself off. She winced for a moment when her left hand met with her right elbow revealing that she had scrapped herself in their fall.

     A volume of concern was in Marco's voice, "You alright Jackie?"

     "Yeah, just a some scratches. Nothing a band-aid won't take care of." Jackie sounded irritated as she continued to dust herself off. She had spent time earlier to look good for Marco, and now just as the night was ending, it was ruined. "I just can't catch a break sometimes."

     "Uh… Jackie?" Marco had kept a defensive pose in front of the Undead.

     "Yeah?" she continued to wince as the pain from her elbow was setting in.

     He decided that it would just be best to point out the obvious. "There is a monster in front of us. You might want to run."

     Jackie looked at the Undead. Then her gaze trailed off, finally settling on her now broken skateboard. The thing had been snapped in half from their landing.

     "-ARGH- I just got that board!"

     The boy was shocked to hear that the girl was more concerned with her skateboard than the monster. Even the Undead gave an inquisitive look, surprised that he was being ignored by the female. It growled at the two teenagers.

     "You know what?! No, none of that! Just shut your mouth." Jackie walked over to the pieces of her skateboard. "Are you going to pay me back for this?!" She pointed what remained of it at the Undead.

     The Jaguar Undead looked at Jackie and then turned towards Marco before giving a shrug.

     Marco dropped his defensive stance and held his hands up as if he wanted nothing to do with this. "Dude, don't look at me. She's mad at you."

     Jackie threw the pieces of her skateboard at the Undead. "God dammit! I was having a great time on my date. Just once, can't I not get pulled into work?!"

     The Undead roared at the upset girl and extended its black claws.

     "Jackie I don't think it was a smart idea to do that." Marco said before he was distracted. "Wait… this was a date?"

     The usually cool headed girl huffed, "It was. Now it's work."

     Around Jackie's waist wrapped a very familiar belt and buckle. From her back pocket, she produced a familiar red backing card. Marco's jaw hit the floor as he clearly saw Jackie utilize an Undead card and transformation buckle.

     Jackie inserted the card and pulled the lever to the side.

     "TURN UP," a familiar voice announced.

     Jackie seethed, "Henshin!"

     The all too similar translucent card screen popped forth from the buckle. Jackie ran towards it, transforming as she used her momentum to jump into the air.

     Marco couldn't believe it, the silver and red Kamen Rider had been Jackie this entire time. He was speechless as he watched her land next to the Undead and started fighting against it. His mouth hung as he tried to process this information. Instead of answers, this just raised more questions.

     Jackie was blocking rapid strikes from the Undead, but still found time to turn her head and yell at the dazed boy. "MARCO! ARE YOU GOING TO JUST STAND THERE?! OR YOU GONNA DO SOMETHING?!"

     "Uh- uh- uh…" Marco wasn't sure what to do. He had hoped that Jackie would've ran away, so he could deal with the Undead himself. However, the reveal that she too was a Rider was too shocking of a fact. And now, he didn't know if he should divulge what he considered a secret identity to the girl.

     "DAMMIT MARCO! I CAN DO THIS MYSELF, BUT C'MON! JUST TRANSFORM ALREADY! I KNOW YOU'RE BLADE!" She was mostly confident that she would be able to deal with the Undead. But that didn't mean it would be easy. Unlike any of the monsters she'd had face up to this point, this one was fast. If she didn't know better, it moved fast enough leaving behind after images of itself. It was difficult to discern which were real attacks or feints.

     Even more news to shock him. However, Marco shoved the questions aside. He made a note to find out the truth from her later. Right now what was important was the undead attack. He pulled out his deck of Undead cards and proceeded to transform.

     "Henshin!" Marco announced as he dove right into the fray.

     The Jaguar Undead took a step back as Marco joined Jackie. It sized both of them as they stood side by side. Jackie was now a bit ragged in her breathing, but she took the opportunity to calm down and rest. That was pretty much the event that lead up to Marco standing next to the now not unknown Rider.

     But their reprieve wouldn't last long as the Undead roared at the both of them. The two teens tightened their defensive poses, ready for whatever the Undead was going to throw at them.

     Marco blinked and instantly the Undead had closed the gap between them. However, instead of attacking like either of them had expected, the Undead just laughed and jumped into the air. Landing behind them, the Undead took a four-legged stance before dashing off away from their sight.

     Jackie was cradled her injury. "Fuck. It got away. -Sigh-"

     The boy was taken aback, he didn't think he'd ever hear profanity coming out of the girl's mouth. But he stood there corrected. He was also confused as to why did the Undead show up, just to leave. He considered maybe it was because he also joined the fight, a two versus one situation wasn't the best of odds. But it that was the case, why did it laugh before scampering off?

     "You alright Jackie? Let's get out of this armor, I can take a look at your elbow." He let got of his transformation.

     Jackie followed suit, getting out of her transformed state. Her hair was now a mess; helmet hair was not her favorite thing. Normally she would have a hair net on for work, but she obviously didn't have the chance this time. Just another thing on her current shit list.

     Jackie reluctantly handed her injured arm to Marco. The lack of adrenaline now made the pain apparent. Her choice to fight with the injury was a terrible idea and she regretted it. Moreso, she had transformed in front of Marco. Why did she have to do that? She got too heated and didn't think of the consequences. She was going to get an earful from her boss, she had been instructed that no one ever see her transform. 'Dammit… this night was spoiled so fucking fast.'

     Jackie flinched, "OW!"

     "Sorry Jackie." Marco was trying to be as careful as he could about the girl's elbow. However, it was now flush red and emitted heat. The blood from the scrape had stopped, but he didn't like how the elbow still changed colors. If only they had more than moonlight, Marco could do a proper examination. "Okay, just to be safe. I need you to hold your arm at a ninety degree angle."

     Jackie did as she was told, she held her arm close to her body at a right angle. She watched as Marco undid his hoodie. The boy took his red hoodie and tenderly wrapped it around her arm, he then wrapped his sleeves around her neck. To her surprise, he had made a makeshift sling from his sweater.

     Like a mother hen, Marco doted on the girl. "How does that feel? Is it too tight? I can loosen it up-"

     Jackie pulled the boy in with her good arm and kissed him on the lips.

     The Californian girl whispered against the stunned boy's lips, "Diaz, you talk too much."

000

     Janna had been out late at night. She noticed that this had become a habit of hers whenever Marco was on her mind. Which meant that she was out late every night. Her parents didn't think anything about it, she always eventually returned home. They attributed it to her being of that age.

     She was walking out on her usual route when a loud roar could be heard. She instantly knew that it was one of those monsters that Marco and Star fought against. Instead of turning around like a normal person, she ran towards it. With any luck, she might be able to see Marco in action. She was still upset about the incident, but that didn't mean she was angry at her crush. No, she was angry at herself. She had let herself be vulnerable with Marco, and made a fool out of herself.

     The Filipino girl was breathing heavily as she reached her destination. However, it wasn't what she expected. She saw Marco exiting his armor and next to him was a Kamen Rider that she wasn't familiar with. It clearly wasn't Star. When the other person also released their transformation, Janna ducked behind the shadow of a nearby building.

     Janna whispered to herself, "Jackie… is… also… a Rider?"

     She continued to watch as Marco tended to Jackie. It seemed like the cool girl had injured herself against whatever had made the roar. Then Janna's eyes widened, she bore witness to something she had never wanted to admit would happen. Jackie was kissing Marco. And though he did freeze for a moment, instead of doing what Janna had hoped he would, Marco embraced the girl and pressed his lips back.

     With tears falling down her cheeks Janna ran back in the direction she had came from. She ran and ran, no amount of running was enough. She wanted to run away from Earth.

     "-Hick- That's not fair!" Janna cried. "I tried so hard. I've been with him forever. It should be me! I should be with Marco. I should be a Kamen Rider!"

     Not paying attention to her surroundings, the distraught girl crashed into someone. She fell backwards from the recoil, while the stranger stood as if only a cool breeze had passed him by.

     The person she crashed into reached out with a hand. "Hey, you alright?" his voice was husky and a bit on the scratchy side.

     She wiped the tears from her face as she swiped his hand away. "Yeah, I'm alright. -Sniff-"

     "I don't think a crying girl is what you'd call alright. Heh."

     "What you find it funny?" Janna picked herself off the pavement.

     "Yeah, I do." He continued to chortle. "I mean, you can't find this funny?"

     She took a look at him. From what she could tell he had red hair and looked not too much older from her. He wore a clean black suit with matching shoes. She figured he must've been from a well off family to be wearing that at this time of night.

     "And what? You just come from a funeral?" she chided him.

     "Oh, a sense of humor? At least you didn't break your funny bone when falling," he sneered at the brown eyed girl. He took note of her eyes, they were filled with so much anger, and they were what he needed. "Oh wait, you were already suffering a broken heart. HA!"

     Janna scowled at the stranger. Under the pale moonlight, she noticed eerily pale his skin was. "Fuck off! Keep your sharp ass, glass cutting nose out of my business."

     At first he just considered the girl rude, but now she was grinding his gears. Flames erupted from him as his third eye opened itself. Three bright red pupils stared at the girl.

     Janna gulped upon the realization that he wasn't human. However, she didn't back down, instead her instincts told her to push right back. She shoved the monster in front of her, and to her surprise her hands went through the fire enveloping the stranger. She expected to be burned, however to her surprise by the time her hands met with his chest, the flames had already extinguished themselves.

     "You're an interesting one. You didn't run away. Instead you decided to try to hurt me. Not like you could, but you still tried. I don't know if that was crazy or courageous." His anger dissipated and was replaced with curiosity. "I'm sorry, I was being rude. Brian keeps telling me to watch my temper, and I know I should listen but… but you don't care about that. Heh. Let me introduce myself. I'm Tom, and you?"

     Janna wasn't sure what to make of the near instant change in Tom's attitude, but decided it was better than his previous face. Truth be told, she was fascinated by his third eye. "I'm Janna."

     "Nice to meet you Janna." He again reached out with his right hand, this time for a handshake.

     Unlike the first time, Janna took it in her own, returning the handshake. "I can't say the same."

     Tom grinned, even in the face of a monster, the girl still didn't give up her pride. "Y'know Janna, I think it was more than coincidence that we bumped into each other. Maybe destiny?"

     Janna scoffed at him, pulled away her hand, and crossed her arms. "I'm not interested."

     The Undead prince put up a defensive posture and shook his head, "What?! No, no. It isn't like that. I could hear you yelling before. And honestly, I think I having to explain less would be nice. I mean, I don't have to say anything about Kamen Riders."

     At that, Janna turned all of her attention to Tom.

     His sharp teeth could be seen as his grin widened knowing that he had her full attention. "And… I have a proposition that would benefit both of us."


	35. Episode 12 - Chapter 01

Hoshi no Kirifuda   
Episode 12 - Chapter 01

  
  
Disclaimer:   
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.  These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

 

Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes. 

 

***

 

Author’s Notes:

I’ve got nothing to say.  Oh, except that if you’re paying attention in the episode itself is Wednesday.  So… that means the dance is on Saturday. Meaning… just a few more episodes before we get to it.  Also, just a heads up, keep track of the moon in the story. I am pretty sure, I’ve kept it in as much continuity as possible.  It is a great piece of detail if I do say so myself.

 

Please keep the reviews coming, especially if it is constructive.

 

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     “Mewni to Marco?  Mewni to Marco! Hey!”  Star waved furiously in front of the boy.

 

     Startled, Marco fell out of his desk.  “-UWAH!-” He crashed onto the floor with a loud thump.  “Sorry Star, what is it?”

 

     “Class just ended, it’s time to get ready for our… extra lesson.”

 

     He looked at the clock hanging above the chalkboard.  Normally, he would’ve rushed out to go meet up with Jackie, however the girl hadn’t shown up at school today.  He received a text from her, letting him know that she opted to stay at home to nurse her injury. He was relieved to know that she had gone to the hospital, and they had informed her that she hadn’t broken anything.

 

     “Sorry Star, I hadn't noticed the bell.”  In fact he was still distracted from the night before.  A smile spread itself on his face as his cheeks slowly flushed red.  He couldn't believe that he had kissed Jackie,  _ the Jackie Lynn Thomas. _  It felt so surreal to the boy.  He had always imagined it, but he still couldn't believe that his first real kiss would be the girl he had been pinning for years.  He could swear that the softness of her lips still lingered on his own. 

 

     “Uh-huh…”  She didn’t believe him.  Marco had made it a habit to run out of the door first to meet up with Jackie everyday, and it was obvious that the lack of her at school today affected the boy.  “Well… Mr. Lucitor said to meet up with him at the gym. You coming or not?”

 

     “Yeah, yeah.  Let’s go.” As he got out of his desk, he looked behind at the desk of the other girl who hadn’t shown up to school.  Janna had made it plain as day that she hated coming to school, but that never stopped her from showing up. Even on her worst days, she showed up just to bother Marco.  He remembered one time where Janna had a terrible case of the flu, but still came to school to see him. The next day, nearly half of the students were out of commission.  Marco recalled it being the worst case of a 24 hour flu he had ever faced. Nothing stayed in his body, coming out one or the other hole. With Janna missing today, he slightly felt responsible, but most of that was overshadowed by the events from the night before.  If Janna was in trouble, he’d would’ve heard about it already, he kept telling himself. They may be on bad terms right now, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t ask for help, right?

 

     Star was getting impatient with how lethargic the boy was and decided to just push him out of the door.  She hadn’t spent any real time with him yesterday and meant to make up that time. “C’mon, c’mon!” she spoke with urgency.  The faster they got done with whatever the crazy Undead teacher could think of, the sooner they could leave.

 

     Marco laughed at the girl, he found it absurd that she would be so excited about these extra lessons.  He always thought that she hated them, but he guessed that maybe she was warming up to the idea. “Alright, I get it.”

 

000

 

     “Today’s lesson will consist… of some sparring.  I’ll have you two face me at the same time.” Mr. Lucitor turned his head to Star, “No transforming.”

 

     In the gym, the two students could see that the Undead teacher had several mats laid out.  More than likely to make an attempt to not harm either student.

 

     “Sir, two against one?” Marco asked.

 

     Star glanced at Marco back to the teacher, “Yeah, I can take you one-on-one.”

 

     Their teacher just laughed at the two.  He always enjoyed their confidence. However, it was time to show them how poorly misplaced it was.  Gathering less than a quarter of his strength, Dave extruded his bloodlust towards the two. He could see both of them instantly freeze up.

 

     “That is less than half my strength.  Up until now, both of you have been fighting against the lower ranked Undead.  And I believe neither of you two have actually come out of any of those fights without a scratch.”  He continued to pile on the weight of his overwhelming pressure. “Do you think that if you fought against a Royal Undead right now, that you would stand a chance?”

 

     Star and Marco could barely breathe.  They’d faced the strength of several Undead already, but nothing compared to this.  Mr. Lucitor wasn’t even serious with either of them, he was just making a point, and it was more than apparent.  Neither of the two could do anything more than just stand there and not pass out from the Undead king’s bloodlust.

 

     Without a warning, the King of Clubs let go of his accumulated strength.   Star and Marco tumbled onto the mats as the sudden loss of force surprised the two.  They both floundered like fish out of water, gasping for breath.

 

     Mr. Lucitor squatted down to their level.  “Now... do you two understand? Especially you Star.  Take a break, we’ll start once both of you are ready.”

 

     A few moments passed and the two sat staring at their teacher.  He was in a corner, reading a novel neither of them had seen before.

 

     “I think we’re fine to start, sir.” Marco mousily stated.

 

     Mr. Lucitor looked over before turning his attention back to his book.  “Nope. Not yet.”

 

     Star shot up and flustered her hair, before she yelled back out of frustration, “Stop playing games with us!”

 

     The teacher sighed before placing his bookmark and shutting the novel.  “Get this  _ princess _ , you’re ready when I say you’re ready.  I know you two are young, but that doesn’t give you an excuse to be impatient.  If we’re going to do this, we’re going to do this right. And in order to start, I need both of you in peak condition.”  Again, he gazed at both of them. “From what I can tell, Marco is distracted by something. I’m assuming something too good to be true happened, according to that grin of his.  And you Star, it looks like… you’re running away from something. Too impatient to understand that I’m the experienced one here. I want to help you two, please trust me.”

 

     The Undead king was correct.  Marco may have been physically here for the lesson, but his mind trailed off thinking about Jackie.  Whereas Star was rushing to get out of here. She had too much on her mind, and the only thing that would calm her down was Marco.  She didn’t want to think about her problems, she just wanted to get away from it all. Both of them stayed silent, with no comebacks, and lost in their own thoughts.

 

     Once he figured enough time had passed to reflect on their actions, Mr. Lucitor placed his book down on a bench and walked towards the two teens.  “Now, we may begin.”

 

     Grabbing both of them by their collars, Mr Lucitor effortlessly tossed them onto the mats.  Star and Marco landed on their feet, it wasn’t the most graceful landing, but they quickly got into defensive stances.  Marco defaulting to his karate and Star in her warrior stance.

 

     Quickly the Undead king closed the gap between them.  It wasn’t a surprise that Star would be the first one to meet him, as they exchanged fists.  Marco attempted to flank from the left, however, Mr. Lucitor ensured that the flow of the blows would always be facing both of them.  He didn’t intend to allow either of them to take advantage of their numbers.

 

     Marco gave up on trying to take the teacher’s flank.  It was apparent that Mr. Lucitor had control of the match, and that this a cake walk for him.  Marco could see that the teacher was just toying with both of them. So, instead of rushing in, Marco did the sensible thing and observed.  He wasn’t expecting to win against the King of Clubs, but he would settle for landing a blow. From the start of the match, Marco saw that Star could barely keep up in her current state.  She was naturally faster than Marco, and yet not a single one of her punches hand actually landed. Instead, Mr. Lucitor was able to parry every exchange and with every other parry, he landed an obviously held back tap on the girl.  Mr. Lucitor hadn’t actually thrown any real punches, he just parried and would poke Star whenever a breach in her defense showed itself. This irritated the girl to no end that the teacher toyed with her. She could see a sadistic grin slowly creep onto the Undead’s face.  

 

     Mr. Lucitor was enjoying himself.  He may have been an advocate against violence, but old habits die hard.  In the past, the only one who could truly match him was the King of Aces.  And though, these children paled in comparison, something about the two sparked the fire within.  Or maybe it had just been too long since his last real fight?

 

     Marco saw a slight change to the teacher’s attention, and deemed this would be the time to strike.  He went behind Star to hide in her shadow, slightly out of Mr. Lucitor’s vision, just enough to make it an uncertainty as to where he would strike.  With a dash, Marco came from behind Star to the right and aimed at the Undead king’s legs. However, it didn’t go as well as planned, with a few swift leg hooks, he kicked the boy aside.  It may have looked like the king was distracted, but he he was now instead regaining his fighting groove. 

  
     It wasn’t attention that he gave either of them, Mr. Lucitor had swapped from a progressive fighting stance to a reactive one.  He shifted from a conscious decisions to just merely instinct. Years of experience polished his skills, and it was easy for him to divide his attention between the boy and girl.  On his left was Marco, which he kept at bay with combinations of kicks and occasionally a deft slap to push the boy off balance. Star had now been attacking on his right side. Unlike Marco, who tried to think before striking, the girl was more straightforward.  Which allowed Star to deliver more precise strikes, but that was her lack of experience. All he had to do was increase the speed in his right arm and he could block and parry her telegraphed attacks. With moments between the students’ attacks he would lightly tap them.  He didn’t want to harm either of them, though truthfully neither displayed any sort of threat that he would have to take them absolutely seriously. He just continued to observe and penetrate their defenses.

 

     Star was growing more haggard as her attacks were beginning to lose momentum.  She had years of combat training and yet none of her attacks could land. The chasm of their abilities was growing with each second.  She felt desperate as she discerned that the Undead king could keep up with both of them, without a single drop of sweat. She couldn’t fathom how he was able to divide his attention between the both of them.

 

     Marco slowed down his rush on the teacher.  He glimpsed the look on Star’s face. It was the usual look of frustration, but with a dash of desperation.  He knew that look, it was a bad sign. Marco knew that Star was a poor loser, and that something bad was going to happen.

 

     The King of Clubs suddenly felt pain in his right arm.  He took a glance and could see what looked like scorch marks on his arm.  He searched for the source of the damage, and could visibly see that Star’s hands were glowing purple and that purple hearts were beginning to cover her them.  Every time he would come into contact with the purple hearts, it would be as if acid grazed against his arm. He wasn’t entirely sure what was happening, but he could see that Star was losing control.  She was no longer aware of her strikes. He could feel the desperation from the girl. This wasn’t a sparring match anymore, he could feel that the girl meant to kill him. Unfortunately for her, no matter what power she was using to do this, Mr. Lucitor still hadn’t brought out the strength he used to demonstrate earlier.

 

     Marco leapt backwards, observing the difference in Star.  He could see that her hands hard turned into a shade of purple and the purple hearts had slowly crawled up her arm.  Star’s eyes were lifeless, like she was moving around like a puppet.

 

     “STAR!”  Marco yelled out to the girl in attempt to reach her.

 

     But it was to no avail, the girl just ignored him and continued her assault.

 

     With a heavy sigh, Mr. Lucitor took it upon himself to stop his berserking student.  He momentarily dipped down to his pool of strength. In a second he vanished from the students’ sights.  Star violently struck the air around her as her query had disappeared. In the next second, Mr. Lucitor reappeared behind the girl and with a quick chop behind the girl’s neck he knocked her out.

 

     Marco’s face had a look of horror as he saw Star keel over.  He quickly rushed to her side. “Star?!”

 

     “She’ll be fine.  I just knocked her out.  She can survive worse.” Mr. Lucitor tried to calm the boy down.  He had seen something similar to her power in the past. And if his speculation was correct, then a lot would be explained about the girl.  Everything except her story.

     “But- But?”

 

     “Mr. Diaz, Star is my student.  Do you really think I would do anything to harm her?”

 

     Marco cradled Star and responded, “No, sir.”  He knew that if the king had truly wanted to harm either of them he would’ve done so already.  But that didn’t alleviate the pain in his chest. Questions about his worthlessness ate at him.

 


	36. Episode 12 - Chapter 02

Hoshi no Kirifuda   
Episode 12 - Chapter 02

  
  
Disclaimer:   
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.  These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

 

Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes. 

 

***

 

Author’s Notes:

Please keep the reviews coming, especially if it is constructive.

 

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     Star groggily woke up to someone’s hand going through her hair.  Her head laid in a warm pillow. She slowly opened her eyes, the buzz of fluorescent lights attacked her sight.  Star could make out the shadow of a person next to her.

 

     “Star?”

 

     It was Marco’s voice.  Soft and gentle, Star considered just continuing to lay there and soak in the soothing situation.

 

     “You awake Star?”

 

     “No. Sleeping.” she giggled.

 

     Marco was glad to hear that the girl was fine.  While her head rested on his thigh, he had been sweeping his hand through her hair.  He had seen her bloodlust before, but this time was different. This was the first time he had ever seen the odd purple color her arms had taken.  Luckily enough, the purple hearts that had been persistent on covering her body peeled off and vanished when she passed out. He didn’t know what it was, and he was happy it was gone.  There was something unnatural with those hearts.

 

     “My, my, don’t you two make the cutest couple?” Mr. Lucitor jested.

 

     Star covered her blushing face.  She recalled everything that led up to moment of her blacking out.  They were in the middle of sparring against the Undead king. She felt desperate when the gap in strength was apparent.  It was then that something deep down her snapped and she blacked out. Only to wake up in Marco’s lap.

 

     “Uh- no. It- it’s not like that Mr. Lucitor.” Marco tried to defend himself.

 

     The Undead teacher gave him an incredulous look.  “You’re bad at this aren’t you? Just shut up and let the girl enjoy herself.  Don’t ruin a good thing. Understand?”

 

     The boy just slowly nodded in agreement.

 

     Nose deep into his novel, Mr. Lucitor was quite amused at the two teenagers.  How nice it must be to be young. One moment dealing with a life threatening situation, the next cuddling each other for warmth.  “Now, if you two are done playing… lovers, I need you two to go home.”

 

     Star instantly shot up and ran to the girl’s locker room to hide her embarrassment.  Marco, just grinned a bit before turning towards his teacher. The smile faded from Marco’s face as he was now alone with the Undead king.

 

     “Do you know what happened to Star?”

 

     Mr. Lucitor’s eyes never left the pages.  “Hmm, I have an idea. But you don’t have a reason to worry.  It is just in her  _ nature _ .”

 

     Marco tightly squeezed his two fists.  There was something with the way that the Undead king said that sounded distasteful.  “What do you mean by that?”

 

     “That Star is not what she seems.  What you saw was a scratch on the surface.”  He flipped to the next page in his book. “I mean, she is from Mewni.  It honestly makes a lot of sense, for the most part.”

 

     “Okay, then what doesn’t make sense?”

 

     “My boy, we’ve had this discussion before.  Have you not been paying attention?” He finally lifted his eyes from his book, to examine the boy.  For someone apparently not romantically involved with the girl, Marco always was so overprotective of her.  “Her story.”

 

     Marco took a second to ponder before he verified, “You mean how could she be from Mewni, if there were no Mewmen left?”

 

     “I’ll let you know that she is from Mewni.  That I do not doubt. What I doubt is her story, it shouldn’t be possible.  And if she is what I believe she is… well let us hope she isn’t.”

 

     “What do you think she is?”

 

     The teacher licked his finger and flipped the page in his book.  “Only Mewni knows.”

 

000

 

     Star clung to Marco as he pedaled home.  He had explained to her the events that had happened and she was worried.  She knew she had fits of blood rage before, but she had never blacked out during one before.  However, when Marco mentioned her skin turning purple, something about it didn’t faze her. It was surprising to hear, but it didn’t make her worried.  It was like an everyday occurrence that one didn’t think about until someone brought it up. One didn’t question breathing, and that’s what it sounded like Marco had pointed out.  But losing control of herself, that was worrisome. It sounded very similar to her first transformation into Chalice. She had lost control then, and once again she lost control. If she couldn’t find a way to keep herself in check, she feared she may strike out at Marco again.

 

     Marco looked back at Star as he stopped at a red light.  The girl held onto him the entire time. She didn’t feel cold, but he could feel her shivering against his back.  He sighed, when he saw Star berserking, all he could think of was when she did so the first time as Chalice. He wasn’t afraid of Star, but his body remembered, and held him back when it really mattered.  ‘If only I was strong enough.’

 

     They both remained silent during their trip home, their only communication was through their slow heavy breaths.

 

000

 

     Star had volunteered to clean up after dinner.  She was normally against peasant work, but she honestly found the work to be cleansing.  With her hands deep into the sink scrubbing the dishes of any leftovers, she hadn’t noticed it when Marco walked up next to her.  Without a word, he took the plate off of her hands and rinsed it off. A pattern between the two developed as they both silently washed and rinsed the dishes.  Their hands would slightly graze against each other as they passed the ceramics between each other. Star giggled to herself as she compared the spectacle of them both doing chores akin to Marco’s parents.  The Diaz couple would normally handle the clean up, and they always looked comely. Star hoped that both she and Marco mirrored the older couple.

 

     Marco was the first to break the silence.  “Hey Star?”

 

     “Hmm?” Star hummed her response.

 

     Marco finished rinsing and dried off the last plate, before turning towards Star and clasped her hand.  Star blushed at the abrupt contact. Their damp hands caressed one another, the suds on her hands making the connection slick and slippery.  She turned towards him to meet with his questioning tone.

 

     “I-  I want to let you know…” the boy scrupled to say what was on his mind.

 

     Star waited to hear what he wanted to say.  Though it was more that Star had hoped that he would say what she really wanted to hear.  Or was it something she needed to hear?

 

     “-Sigh-  I’m sorry I haven’t been the best squire.”

 

     “Wait?  What?” Star was confused as to what brought this up.  All tension from her dropped as the mood drastically changed.

 

     “I said I’m sorry that I haven’t been a good squire.  I should be there for you more and-”

 

     The blonde girl pulled her sudsy hand away from his and interrupted his train of thought.  “You do not get to decide that. Marco, you’re not just my squire, you’re a friend. And right now, I need a friend first.  Don’t worry about the squire thing, I just shoved that on to you anyways.”

 

     He may not have always acted on it, but Marco was proud to be Star’s squire.  “Star, I know you’re my friend. But… I don’t want to see you get hurt. I promise, I’ll get stronger-.”

 

     “Marco Diaz.”  Star took her hand and placed it back into Marco’s.  “You don’t have to promise me anything.”

 

     “But-”

 

     “No buts.  But, if you want to promise me something, promise me that you’ll always be there as a friend.  I can see that you’re worried about me. I… haven’t been at my best recently and there has been a lot of questions about several things.  And I want to let you know that you shouldn’t hold yourself accountable for my mission. I appreciate the help, but I don’t need you to save me.  I can handle myself.” She told him, not fully believing in that last sentence.

 

     “I promise to always be there for you Star.”

 

     “And I promise the same for you Marco.  Best friends forever?”

 

     “Forever,” he swore to the princess.

 

000

 

     Both Star and Marco were in their transformed states chasing after the Jaguar Undead.  It had been some time after their heartfelt talk, and some needed exercise seemed a great way for both of them to expel excess energy.  The only problem was that it had remained a chase. The Undead had always outpaced both the teens. It’s intention was to always stay a step ahead of the two, never directly confronting them.

 

     Every time either of them would get close enough to attempt to land an attack, the Jaguar Undead would speed up and dodge everything thrown at it.  To add insult to injury, it would just continuously laugh at both of them. The elusive Undead found amusement in their failures.

 

     ‘You should let me do it.  I can show you how to use your power.’ The Voice invaded Marco’s head.

 

     Exhaustion from the chase was getting to the boy, allowing the Voice to penetrate the mental barriers he had put up.  He hated these moments of brief weaknesses.

 

     ‘Sleep.’

 

     “No!” Marco stated.  “I’m not listening!”

 

     Star stopped in her tracks and turned her attention to the beleaguered boy.  “Marco?!”

 

     He couldn’t hear the cry from his friend.  Instead his head was filled with the insistent nagging of the Voice.  His breathing grew ragged and a pain shot from his right arm. Marco fell over onto his knees, cradling his arm.

 

     ‘You’re pushing yourself too hard.  Just let me take over,’ the Voice sinisterly sneered.

 

     Marco haggardly spoke, “No… I can’t…”

 

     Seeing it’s chance, the Undead made an instant one-eighty and charged right at Marco.  Star barely had time to blink as the Undead made strides towards Marco. By the time she opened her eyes, she witnessed the end result of the Undead’s knee meeting with Marco’s head.

 

     “MARCO!!!”  Star was too tired from constantly chasing the Undead for the past hour and struggled to close the distance between her and Marco.  However, it wasn’t just the chase that had gotten to her, the lesson with Mr. Lucitor and her berserking had already wore her thin for the day.  And truth be told, Star had hoped that fight with the Undead would be an easy one, not a game of tag.

 

     Marco’s body flew backwards from the impact.  His extremities flailing about as he rag-dolled through the air.  Finally landing onto the pavement and skidding across the asphalt of the road.

 

     Star tripped on herself as her legs gave out underneath.  “Marco!”

 

     The Jaguar Undead made quick work of the distance between it and Blade.  It leapt into the air and landed with a stomp on top of Marco’s chest. An audible hack could be heard from the boy.  The Undead didn’t give up with just a single strike, it continued the assault, determined to cave the rider’s chest in.

 

     Star crawled towards Marco, heaving with every ounce of her strength.  Her body now shutting down as the fatigue accumulated. Every inch closer drained her reserves.  It was tough for her to admit that the Undead Teacher may have been more right than she liked to believed.

 

     ‘I would rather  _ not _ die,’ the Voice stated.

 

     Marco wasn’t even paying attention to it anymore.  His head turned and he gazed at Star struggling to crawl.  If his lungs weren’t constantly being assaulted, he might’ve sighed at how pathetic he was right now.  He had just made a promise to be there for Star forever, and he was going to break it. His eyelids closed as all the pain shut his body down.  No longer was there strength for him to do anything. Or so he thought.

 

     ‘Don’t mind me, its just my turn.’

 

     Marco could feel a demonic grin slither across his face.  The sickening feel of someone forcing him to smile churned his stomach.  His right arm grabbed onto the Jaguar Undead’s left ankle and pulled it out from under.  The Undead fell over landing next to the boy with a thud.

 

     It was a haze, and his mind was a blank as Marco could feel his body pull itself off the pavement like a puppet being strung up.  Too tired to resist, Marco felt his body flex for a moment and dust itself off.

 

     “Ah…  See, we still got plenty of gas left.”

 

     Star stopped her movements.  She could hear Marco’s voice, but it wasn’t  _ his _ voice.  Something about it sounded wrong.  It was heavier, with more gravitas and command in its tone.

 

     “Don’t worry Star.   _ We _ got this.”

 

     ‘We?  Who was Marco referring to?’ Star thought to herself.  ‘It sounded like some Other Marco.’

 

     The Undead quickly got up and inquisitively stared at its prey.  It could’ve sworn that the boy was crushed and on the cusp of death.  And yet, Marco stood in front of it like nothing had happened. It didn’t like what was happening, and looked for a way to escape.  Something wasn’t right, it would be best to retreat and try another day.

 

     Before the Undead could retreat, Marco reached out with his right hand.  A familiar force extruded from his body. Star’s eyes lit up as she felt it, it wasn’t as powerful, but it was close to the pressure that Crescenta and Mr. Lucitor had used.  But now Marco was emitting it.

 

     The Jaguar Undead froze before it could take a step.  It knew it was hunting down the Ace of Spades, but this was beyond its comprehension.  The boy gave off the bloodlust and pressure of a king. Fear grasped what should’ve been its heart and petrified the Undead.  The only movement it could produce was the weak buckling it had in its knees.

 

     Marco’s body reached down to his sword and picked it up in his right hand.  He held it up as if to examine it. The overwhelming pressure never gave up an inch, relentlessly determined to crush the Undead.  Star could swear that a dark glint had raced across Marco’s eyes as he stared down the frozen Undead. He slowly paced himself, closing the distance between himself and the Undead.  When he was in front of the monster, he held his sword at the chest of the Jaguar Undead.

 

     Startling Star, Marco started a bloodcurdling laugh.  “Cah-cah-cah! CAH-CAH-CAH! CAH-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!”

 

     Star felt goosebumps on her skin.  The girl couldn’t tear her eyes from the sight as she witnessed Marco slowly plunge his sword into the Undead.  She couldn’t see his face, but there was no doubt in her mind that the boy was enjoying the imipalement of the Undead.  The sword had pierced through the Undead, and green blood dripped from the wound covering the blade.

 

     She could faintly hear the Undead gurgle a question, “mIwqoqvam'e' roQ?  (What are you?)”

 

     Coldly, Marco replied, “I’m going to be  **_king_ ** .”

 

     Then he pulled out a blank sealing card and pressed it against the defeated Undead’s forehead.  With a flash of green light, the Jaguar Undead was sealed. Apathetically, the card was placed into his card holder.  Marco then flicked his sword, the blood splattered off the blade and onto the ground, before he sheathed his sword. The pressure he had been emitting had dissipated along with his transformation as he sashayed towards Star.  Star’s eyes traced his hips as he ostentatiously enamoured her.

 

     ‘Aw yeah, you shake that butt.  I mean… what?’ Star shook her head, trying to resist the allure of this Other Marco.

 

     Marco bent down to her level and whispered, “Keh, you going to stay like that?  I mean… I don’t mind. If you wanna keep the armor on, I bet it’d be pretty fun to strip you out of that.”

 

     Star blushed, ‘What was Marco saying?’  This wasn’t the usual safe Marco, instead he was cool and charming.  Before she knew it, she had already let go of her Kamen Rider armor.

 

     “I guess I can work with that too.”

 

     Star could feel Marco’s eyes roaming her muscles.  And this was when she broke the boy’s spell. Regaining her composure, she picked herself off the ground and went onto the defensive.  There was something wrong with Marco, and Star had to resist the boy’s seduction.

 

     Marco licked his lips, like savoring a morsel.  “Aw, don’t be like that Star.”

 

     “Who are you?  You’re not Marco, you’re some Other Marco,” Star accused him.

 

     Star could hear him chuckling, “You’re not wrong, but you’re not right.  I  _ am _ Marco.  I’m just not the safe kid.”

 

     “Give him back!”

 

     “Give?  You think I took him?  I haven’t done anything.  He’s just sleeping right now.”

 

     “Wake him up.”

 

     There was a moment of a pause, though it was just Other Marco humoring Star.  He didn’t have any intention of giving up control just yet. The plan was to wring out every second he could, and it was a plus to tease Star.  “No.”

 

     At that, Star leapt at Marco and hoped that she could knock some sense into him.  However, instead, he caught her in his arms. He held her in a warm embrace as she flailed about trying to escape.

 

     “Let me go!” Star demanded.

 

     “Keh, nuh-uh.” he breathed down her neck.

 

     The warm breath contrasted against the chilly autumn wind and sent shivers down her body.  Her limbs went limp as butterflies fluttered in her stomach. Marco pressed his lips right beneath her right ear before inhaling a deep breath.

 

     “Star, you smell good,” his lips mumbled against her sensitive skin.  Marco began to trace her back in small circles.

 

     The goosebumps came back as Star shivered against the boy’s ministrations.  With a beleaguered sigh, Star pushed Marco’s head away. She was determined to defy the boy.

 

     “No... Marco.  Please... wake up,” she pleaded.  “You said you’d be there for me, please come back.”

 

     Marco struggled with himself, Star’s words were rousing him from his slumber.  He pushed himself away from Star and clutched his head shaking it fervently.

 

     “Get out of my head...” Marco growled at The Voice.

 

     “Aw c’mon I was just doing what you want-”

 

     “NO! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!” Marco demanded.

 

     Star reached out to caress Marco’s anguished face.

 

     “-Sigh- Fine, I’ll be back.”  Other Marco winked at Star, “Laters Princess.”


	37. Episode 12 - Chapter 03

Hoshi no Kirifuda   
Episode 12 - Chapter 03   
  


  
Disclaimer:   
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.  These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

 

Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes. 

 

***

 

Author’s Notes:

 

Okay.  If you’re reading and you haven’t figured it out, I’ll tell you who The Voice/Other Marco is.  It is Monster Arm. I do hope I set that up at least decently well. If not, please offer suggestions as to how I could’ve done it without actually saying it.

Please keep the reviews coming, especially if it is constructive.

 

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     “See, see, I told ya.  I told ya, I told ya, I told you so!”  The King of Spades giddily hopped up and down.

 

     The King of Clubs had his face buried in his hands.  He couldn’t believe it, he felt the enormous pressure Kamen Rider Blade had exerted from their spectator spot, and he still couldn’t make out what had happened.  Marco Diaz had somehow used the strength only reserved for Royal Undead. He truly was the Ace of Spades.

 

     “How?!” he redundantly asked.  “He’s human! Even if he somehow was of Mewni descent, how could he utilize the strength of the Undead?”

 

     “I don’t know.  And I don’t care.”  The smile never left the King of Spades’ face.  He was too excited on two accounts. One, he finally got to wipe that smug look off of the King of Clubs’ face.  And two, he finally found someone who potentially could match him. ‘Oh, this is going to be fun.’

 

     “No.  There is something foul afoot.  We must find out what happened at the end of the last Royal Battle.”

 

     The King of Spades merely brushed it off.  “It doesn’t matter. Our concern is teaching that child how to control his power.”

 

     “What you mean to say is to make him a suitable challenge for you.”

 

     “I’m not denying that.  Right now, he is an unripened piece of fruit.  If I pluck it too early, it’ll spoil the fun. And as you can clearly see, he’s not in control when he does use it.”

 

     Dave Lucitor sighed, “I saw.  His humanity is struggling against his Mewman blood.”

 

     “And you will train him to overcome that.”

 

     Dave rolled his eyes, “And I have to do it by myself?”

 

     The King of Spades chortoled, “Of course not, I’ll send the rest of my kin.”

 

     “You’re going to have him face both the Jack and Queen?”

 

     “Eventually.  If I send them in too early, they would obviously kill him, just to spite me.”

 

     The monster king was right on that account.  He may have been the ruler of the monsters, but that didn’t mean they respected him.  He ruled with fear and power, and those who were weaker than him served him.

 

     “You do realize that interfering would be going against Toffee’s instructions?”

 

     “Who gives a fuck?  Ha-ha! I’ve only kept him around because of his usefulness.  And now I’ve found something to do. If he has a problem, he can come to me himself.”

 

     “I guess, I’m not entirely innocent either,” the King of Clubs spoke under his breath.

 

     “C’mon Cloves, aren’t you excited to see what he’ll become?”

 

     “-Sigh- Don’t call me that.”  Dave never enjoyed the pet name he had been given by the King of Spades, but at least it was a sign that the king was in a good mood.  “And you mean to ask if he’ll be a monster or not?”

 

     The King of Spades’ eye eerily glowed against the night sky.  “Exactly.”

 

000

 

     In the lair of Mew-Shocker was Toffee sitting at his desk.  He was going through paperwork for the current project. Everything for it was going well until one of the subjects had escaped this morning.  It wasn’t a set back, just an extra specimen, but loose ends should still be dealt with.

 

     “Here is your report boss,” Jackie reluctantly gave Toffee a few pieces of papers.

 

     Toffee didn’t look at the girl, but still directed at her, “How is your arm?”

 

     Jackie waved it around, showing how nothing permanent had happened to it.  “It’s cool, just a sprain. It healed up fast. Y’know, rider powers and all.”

 

     “Hmm… Yes… Of course.”

 

     “Uh…”

 

     “-Sigh-  Yes, Jackie?”

 

     It always unnerved her to see Toffee using her dad’s body.  She grew up with it and you would think she’d be used to it, but it was always odd to hear the deep voice coming out of the usually nasally screeching body of Ludo.  At this point she just learned to accept it.

 

     “Am I going to get punished?”

 

     Toffee removed his eyes from the paperwork, and slowly turned his beak towards the girl.  “What… for...?”

 

     “Transforming in front of Marco?”

 

     “You said you trusted the boy.  And you told me that you specifically instructed him to not let anyone know of your secret.”  His eyes flashed green as they looked into Jackie’s own. “You’re the daughter of my most trusted friend.  I’ve known you your entire life Jackie. If I couldn’t place my trust in you, I would be doing Ludo an insult.”

 

     Jackie sighed in relief, “So… does that mean I can still go to the dance?”

 

     Toffee rolled his eyes at the girl.  “Do you want me to say  _ no _ ?”

 

     Jackie put up her hands defensively, and shook her head.  “Please, no!”

 

     “Heh, good.  I believe you said you’re going to the dance with the boy?”

 

     “Yeah, he’s a nice guy.”

 

     The glowing birdman stared at the girl.  He could see her fidgeting and slightly blush at the mention of going out with the boy.  It wasn’t surprising, she was of age, and boys were an obvious interest. However, he did find it amusing that coincidentally she would be interested in Blade.  Or maybe it wasn’t coincidence and everything was unfolding exactly as  _ He _ wanted.

 

     “So, you claim.”  Toffee interlocked his fingers.  “But remember, he’s a target of interest.  If he becomes a problem you know what to do.”

 

     “Yeah… I have to clean up my own mess.”

 

     “Good.  We at Mew-Shocker are here to prevent the outcome of the last Royal Battle.  We shall not allow death of all life to occur again,” Toffee reiterated for the girl.  He knew it was redundant, but he felt that it was necessary for the reminders. “And you are key to that.”

 

     Jackie crossed her arms in irritation, “I know, I know.  You don’t have to tell me every time. You’re not my dad.”

 

     “No,  _ I’m _ not.  However, I’m sure Ludo would agree with me.  Though chances are, he’d have a fit about the topic of you and boys.”

 

     “Yeah, dad didn’t take the news very well the first time.  This whole morning all he would tell me was how much trouble he knew boys would be. -Sigh-”

 

     A smile crawled onto Toffee’s beak.  “Don’t worry, I spoke with him. He may not like it, but he eventually agreed.  You’re a big girl now and it is your life to live.”

 

     “Uh… Thanks boss.”

 

     “Yes, yes.”  Toffee waved her off.  “Now, go home, it is late and I do have some work left”

 

     With nothing left to do, Jackie walked towards the only door in the chamber.  She was about to close the door behind her when Toffee called out to her.

 

     “Jackie!  One last thing, please keep an eye on the boy.  Report anything... suspicious.”

 

     She didn’t look back at him, and gave a response through the crack of the door, “Yeah boss, I know, I will.”

 

000

 

     In an undisclosed location was an unknown armored warrior.  The figure sat on a bench underneath a lamp post and counted several sealed Undead cards.  Its legs slowly swung beneath the bench.

 

     “ And that makes seven. ”

 

     “This is going much easier than I thought it would.”

 

     There were the sounds of two voices conversing to each other.

 

     “ Of course it is, that’s because I’m the strongest. ”

 

     “I didn’t think this would actually work out when you suggested it.”

 

     “ Oh ye of little faith. ”

 

     “Fuck you man.  Seriously, who would ever believe the nonsense you spout?”

 

     “ They don’t have to believe, they’ll just die. ”

 

     The armored figured sighed as it stood in the faint light.  Revealing a dark green and golden armored warrior.

 

     “I’m not going to kill anyone.”

 

     “ Eh, you’ll come around to it. ”

 

     The figure set off towards the darkness.

 

     “I’ve been thinking that we need a name.”

 

     “ A name ?”

 

     “Yeah, Marco gets a cool name like Kamen Rider Blade.  We should have something super cool.”

 

     “ King.  Kamen Rider King. ”

 

     “Nah, that’s lame.”

 

     “ And you have any suggestions ?”

 

     “You do that fire thing right?  How about… Leangle?”

 

     One of the voices laughed, “ You’re making up words now ?”

 

     The figure stopped in its tracks and crossed its arms.  It tapped its foot in indignation.

 

     “Fuck you man.  In astrology, Leangle is related to the fire element.  So we’re going to be Kamen Rider... Leangle.”

 

     “ -Sigh-  I would rather be called King. ”

 

     “I will walk and leave you hanging if you want to be called that.  Let’s see you try to find someone else to cooperate,” the other voice threatened.

 

     “ -Exasperated sigh-  Fine. Whatever. Lin-gal sounds okay. ”

 

     The unknown Kamen Rider once again walked into the darkness.

 

     “That’s Leangle,  _ I’m _ Kamen Rider Leangle.”


	38. Episode 13 - Chapter 01

Hoshi no Kirifuda   
Episode 13 - Chapter 01   
  
Disclaimer:   
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.  These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

 

Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes. 

 

***

 

Author’s Notes:

Alright, sorry, I know I’m taking my time.  Real life just takes priority. So, for the time being, just expect a new episode once every two or three weeks.  Until I get work and everything else back on track, I don’t have enough free time to get back to this. But I have not forgotten anyone. 

 

Also, note, I uh... noticed that I messed up with the upload of this piece.  I corrected it, removed the duplicate Episode 08 - Chapter 02.  I also realized that the prologue was missing, so I added that.  I don't know what happened, but if you haven't read it, please go back and read it.  I do hope that this has not ruined your enjoyment of this work in anyway.  I do have this uploaded to two different places and I think the management of that messed me up.

 

Please keep the reviews coming, especially if it is constructive.

 

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     “-Ugh…-”  Marco’s head was still throbbing from the night before.  He hadn’t been able to sleep much at all out of fear that The Voice might come back and hijack his body again.  It was a living nightmare, trapped inside of your own body as something else possessed it. Being at school didn’t help him at all, he just wanted the day to end.  
  
     ‘Plus, this morning didn’t help,’ Marco thought as he slowly looked to his left at Star.

 

     The day dragged on as Star kept a watchful eye on Marco.  The boy looked like death itself, and she worried for him.  The events that unfolded from the night before was difficult for her to explain to the Diazes.  The best excuse she could come up with when she carried his unconscious body home was that they had just overworked themselves at gym earlier in the day.  Which wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth, and Marco’s parents weren’t dumb. However, they didn’t press the matter any more than that. Both Rafael and Angie looked concerned and disappointed, but they were just both happy that Star and Marco were safe.  Albeit the obviously blacked out Marco. Mr. Diaz helped Star carry Marco to bed and asked that she do the same.

 

     Star struggled to sleep.  The scene of Marco slowly plunging his sword into the Undead replayed in her head again and again until she eventually fell unconscious.  However, sleep was not the end of it, because Other Marco was the subject of her dreams. It wasn’t the first time Marco would be the center of her dreams.  From time to time, her dreams would involve the boy and some sort of naughty situation. She would dream about being in the boy’s arms, with his bare chest pressed against hers.  With one thing leading to the next. Star’s face flushed red as she mused about her past dreams. And the one from last night wasn’t that different. Except it wasn’t Marco, it was Other Marco.  Throughout the night she could still feel his nuzzle against her skin and the shivvers that went down her spine. His hot breath whispering sweet nothings into her ear. Upon waking up she immediately knew she would need a shower to start the day.

 

     Without much thought she had stepped into the bathroom without knocking.  To her surprise, Marco was just walking out of the shower. Both teens yelped at each other.  Marco desperately reached for his towel and Star instantly tried to avert her eyes. In the exchange Star was able to catch a glimpse of Marco’s dangling parts.  Both of their faces were red as tomatoes as embarrassment permeated the steam filled room. Marco quickly excused himself and left her alone in the bathroom. Now she was positive that shower had better be cold water.

 

     Not a word had been exchanged between the two as they got to school.  Marco quickly split himself from Star to go find Jackie. She was disappointed, but she understood that there was a stale air of awkwardness between the two of them.  And that maybe some time away from each other would do them both good. The problem was that the school day was slow and that they both still sat next to each other.

 

000

 

     Class was dismissed and the only two who stayed behind was Star and Marco.  They had been instructed by Mr. Lucitor to stay behind. They had expected another physically draining day with him, but it seemed like there were other plans.  The room was quiet as both teens were left behind, their teacher excusing himself for a moment to go speak to the principal.

 

     Star was the first to break the silence.  “So… did you notice that Janna was still out?”

 

     Marco avoided looking at Star and nodded his head in agreement.  He had taken note that the Filipino girl was still not in class for a consecutive second day.  Deep down he was already distraught over everything else, that he didn’t want to fret over Janna either.  But he would be lying if he said he wasn’t.

 

     “Uh… I’m sorry Marco.”  Star clasped her hands together and winced at the boy.  “So sorry! I should’ve knocked this morning. I didn’t mean to-”

 

     “-Sigh-  It’s… okay Star.  You didn’t mean anything by it.  And it isn’t like you saw anything.”

 

     The girl gulped, “Yeah… of course not.”  Her face was now the same shade of red it was this morning in the bathroom.

 

     Marco loomed over his desk.  “Star? You saw nothing  _ right _ ?”

 

     “I… wouldn’t say nothing…  I mean… it was definitely something.”

 

     “Star, how much did you see?”

 

     Star squeezed her fingers close together.  “Just a little bit.”

 

     Marco made the most miserable groan he could and slammed his head against his desk.

 

     The lightbulb clicked on in her head as Star realized what she had just said and she attempted to correct herself, “No, no, no!  Not like that Marco! I meant that I only caught a glimpse! I don’t think  _ it _ was small.”

 

     He continued to press his face into his desk, in hopes that by the time he was finished that he might look like someone else and hide from all of this embarrassment.

 

     “And I’ve never seen one before, I don’t even know what  _ small _ is.”  The girl’s wheels turned as she begun to ask more questions.  “Actually Marco, what is it like to have dangly parts?”

 

     The question snapped him out of his distress.  “WHAT?!”

 

     “Yeah, what is it like to have things just… hanging there?”

 

     “Uh- uh- uh-”  Marco was stunned.  ‘How does things work in Star’s mind?’

 

     Both teens turned their heads as an uproarious laughter came from the door.  To their chagrin, the Undead teacher stood there trying to cover his mouth as his guffawing leaked through his fingers.

 

     Red as a beet, Marco asked, “How long have you been there sir?”

 

     Mr. Lucitor mimicked Star squeezing her fingers together.  “Oh, just a little bit. HA-HA-HA!”

 

     Both Star and Marco shrunk in their desks.  Their faces hot and red as they tried to avoid eye contact.

 

     “I apologize, that wasn’t professional of me.  But… you’ve got to admit, it is pretty funny. You kids are the best.”  Mr. Lucitor assured them before his tone shifted. “But enough fun. I have something serious to inform you.”

 

     The boy and girl looked up from their desks to see their teacher drastically become serious.  All the uncomfortable air dissipated as they realised how important this sounded. They stayed silent in anticipation of the news.

 

     Taking their silence as consent, the Undead king continued.  “We will be changing the training program. I… will continue to train Star.  But you Marco…”

 

     Marco answered upon hearing his name, “Yes?”

 

     “You… will be under the tutelage of the King of Spades.”

 

     It was just one thing after the next.  This news shocked both the teens. Star was upset to hear that she would be alone with the King of Clubs.  However, Marco was astonished to hear that he would be training with the King of Spades.

 

     “Wait!  No! Why would the King of Spades want to train Marco?  Weren’t you supposed to be training Marco to fight him in the first place?!” Star was disconcerted over losing her training partner.

 

     “Calm down Star.  I’m sure there is a good reason for this.  Right Mr. Lucitor?”

 

     Unflustered, the teacher responded with two words, “Last night.”

 

     Marco nearly froze.  “Did you happen to see that?”

 

     “I could taste it.”

 

     “And what does that have to do with Marco?” Star asked.

 

     ‘I guess it doesn’t matter, better that the boy knows now than later.’  The Undead teacher relented and answered, “Well… Marco… is a monster.”

 

     “WHAT?!” Both teens exclaimed.

 

     “-Sigh-  It is the only reasonable answer.”  Mr. Lucitor pointed at Marco. “Marco, you can somehow transform into a Kamen Rider.  You’ve not just defeated multiple Undead, but you also unleashed abilities last night that are only privy to Royal Undead.  If everything adds up, then… you are a descendent of the King of Spades.”

 

     “HOW?!” Again both Star and Marco were synchronized.

 

     “We still don’t know.  But after much research, I came to realize something about Earth’s history.  Earthlings have myths and legends of that which bumps in the night. Vampires, werewolves, and various other things that seem too much of a coincidence.  Both the King of Spades and I have concluded that these were more than just stories. Every single story has some sort of shred of truth in them. And the connection must be that the stories were about human and Mewman monster hybrids.”

 

     “I ask again, how?” Marco pleaded for an answer.

 

     “That… we don’t know.  The King of Spades has revealed to me that he did have a single child in the past.  And if our speculation is correct, then Earth was where the child was placed for safe keeping.”  The Undead king could see that what looked like the weight of the world had been placed on the boy’s shoulders.  “And that child must’ve been raised on Earth. Eventually passing down the the King of Spades’ lineage.”

 

     “Okay, let’s say that this is all true.  How would we find out if this was true? A D.N.A. test?”  Marco tried to find a way to disprove what he had been told.

 

     “Yeah, you’re just said that you’re speculating, meaning you don’t actually know.” Star attempted to help defend Marco.

 

     “No.  We wouldn’t have to do any of that.  The King of Spades has merely requested me to ask Marco a simple question and that would verify.”

 

     “What question...?” Marco inquired.

 

     “Have you spoken to The Voice yet?”

 

     Marco’s eyes widely opened.  Not only had Mr. Lucitor surprised him in revealing that they had been watched last night, but that he knew of The Voice.

 

     “What do you know of it?!  It won’t leave me alone!” An exasperated Marco demanded answers.

 

     Mr. Lucitor flicked the boy’s forhead, causing Marco to slink back down to his seat.  “I don’t know. But I’m assuming that since you sound so acquainted with it, that you’ve answered the King of Spades’ question.  Marco, I truly don’t know what it is. However, the Monster King does. As such, I suggest that you go and find out from him.”

 

     “Or… I come here and grab you!!!” Interjected an unfamiliar voice.

 

     Mr. Lucitor heavily sighed as his two students looked over their shoulders to see the source of the new voice.  Both of them startled to see the orange and golden hair of the King of Spades. Neither of them knew how did the King sneak up on both of them.  They hadn’t seen the door open and neither Star or Marco had felt the presence of the King. However, before questions could be raised, the King of Spades picked Marco out of his seat and placed the boy above his shoulder.

 

     “I’ll be be having a talk with the kid.  You can have the other one. Bwah-ha-ha-ha!” the Monster King announced as carried a flailing Marco.

 

     “Let me go!” Marco struggled.

 

     Star attempted to chase after them, but was held back in her seat by Mr. Lucitor.

 

     “Let go!  I have to save Marco!” Star demanded.

 

     “-Sigh-  Calm down.  The boy will be safe… for now… though, I guess he may have some scrapes here and there later.” the Undead teacher considered the worst case scenario.

 

     Star growled, “NO!  LET ME GO!”

 

     “Star, Marco will be fine.  You should be worrying about yourself.  Or do you want to go berserking again?”

 

     Star swallowed hard and stopped resisting the teacher.  She was worried about Marco, but something about the teacher’s tone was right, even if she hated to admit it.

 

     “Both of you need to learn self-control.  If I didn’t know better, I’d say you two were already lovers.”

 

     Remembering the events from the morning, Star turned bright red.  “Wha- no- tha- what?”


	39. Episode 13 - Chapter 02

Hoshi no Kirifuda   
Episode 13 - Chapter 02   
  
Disclaimer:   
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.  These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

 

Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes. 

 

***

 

Author’s Notes:

Please keep the reviews coming, especially if it is constructive.

 

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     Star huffed an exaggerated breath.  She’d spent the past hour with Mr. Lucitor concentrating on self-control.  He had instructed her to sit and meditate. Which wasn’t new for her, she’d done similar things in the past.  The difference was that occasionally, the Undead king would smack her as she was on the cusp of taking naps. She couldn’t help herself, meditation was just so boring and she couldn’t think how this ‘training’ was going to help her.

 

     “Mr. Lucitor…”

 

     The King of Clubs sat across from her, legs crossed, and eyes shut.  “Star, one does not talk during meditation.”

 

     “Please, I have questions,” she beseeched the king.

 

     “Aw right, fine.  Honestly, I’m surprised you humored me this long anyways.”

 

     “Huh?”  She opened her eyes to see the teacher grinning.

 

     “I said that I’m surprised that you didn’t say something earlier.  Meditation is _ boring _ .”

 

     Star accusingly stared at the man.  “If you thought it was also boring then why did we waste an hour doing it?”

 

     “Because, it doesn’t matter how boring it is, when you  _ have _ to do it.”

     The girl recorded those words.  She may not have always listened to her tutors in the past, but it was clear that the Undead king was parting necessary knowledge.  He was right that she had often avoided doing things that were not entertaining. Impatient and reckless was how she lived her life, and it was apparent that she would need to change and improve herself.  And it isn’t that the King of Clubs ever gave her bad advice, nor was he a terrible teacher, however she found it difficult to want to listen to the Undead teacher. Something in her just refused to do so.

 

     Instead of focusing on the tidbit of advice, Star decided to just continue with her line of questioning.  “Thanks for that… but uhm… yesterday I overheard you and Marco… and I wanted to ask about that.”

 

     “-Tsk, tsk, tsk-  Eavesdropping isn’t very princess-like.  But… are you sure you want to know? Some truth is better left alone.”

 

     “Glossaryck said the same thing.”

 

     “Oh?  I’m willing to bet he also told you to pray to Mewni?”

 

     Star silently nodded.

 

     “I didn’t expect much.  The truth is something for him to know, not to share.  Don’t blame him, it’s his position. And even then, I don’t believe Mewni would confide everything with him.  He is just a mouth piece. But that’s not what you want to talk about.”

 

     Her blonde hair scattered as she shook her head.  “No. I keep hearing things that contradict what I know.  And… it is starting to blur now. I just want to know the truth.”

 

     The Undead teacher looked at his distraught student.  Her head hung low and her voice trembled. It wasn’t the usual spirited girl he had become accustomed to.  The fire within her was doused with doubt and he didn’t know how to correct it.

 

     “-Sigh-  Star, have you prayed to Mewni?”

 

     The vulnerable girl slightly visibly flinched, “Uh… yes.”

 

     “Hmm?  And what came out of it?  Was your prayer answered?”

 

     “No?  Yes? I- I don’t know…”

 

     The girl visibly was shaken.  Whatever had transpired between herself and the god must’ve not been good.

 

     “Tell me what happened.” Mr. Lucitor commanded.

 

     There was silence in the gymnasium as Star contemplated whether or not to tell the Undead of what she was shown.

 

     The Undead king sighed, “Or not.  I guess it isn’t my busi-”

 

     Star cut the man off, “I saw nothing.  I was shown a vision of nothing but static.  I asked to see my family and nothing. I was shown everything but what I wanted to see.  And then…” She hesitated to finish her confession, not wanting to admit to spying on Marco and Jackie.

 

     Again, the girl’s habit of interrupting him, however, he decided to forgive her for this one time.  Mr. Lucitor pried for more information, “And then?”

 

     “And then nothing.  Glossaryck returned before I could finish with the All-Seeing Eye.”

 

     The teacher’s brow furrowed,  “The All-Seeing Eye?”  
  
     “Did I forget to mention that?  Yeah, you know Glossaryck’s book he always has with him?  When I needed to pray to Mewni, it opened itself when Glossaryck wasn’t around.  There is a page in it called the All-Seeing Eye, and I summoned it.”

 

     “I’m sorry, I know you said it, so I am asking for redundancy.  You said The All-Seeing Eye, correct?”

 

     “Yeah, I recited a few runes, and it popped out of thin air.  It is this large creepy purple looking eye, that blinks real slow.  And it shows you what you ask of it. Or at least it is supposed to, I think... it was broken.”

 

     He was astonished.  He knew of the prayer, having seen it once recited by Glossaryck.  However, he’d never been able to use it himself. The Eye of Mewni was only privy to a select few, and to think that Star was able to summon it.  He was slack jawed that out of all things that Mewni would do to answer her prayer, it would be this. Was this girl truly the danger he thought she was?  It was the only conceivable reason why the god would help her in such manner.

 

     Star waved a hand in front of her teacher.  He had been standing there silent after her confirmation upon summoning the All-Seeing Eye.  It was out of character for the usually collected teacher to silently break down.

 

     “Mr. Lucitor?  You alright?”

 

     Snapping back into reality, the Undead king responded, “Yes.  Yes. I’m alright. -Sigh- Star do you know what the All-Seeing Eye is?”

 

     She shrugged, “A really old fashioned way that Mewmen used to watch television?”

 

     He dismissed the girl’s air-headed answer.  “No. The All-Seeing Eye is Mewni’s eye. What you see is exactly what the god sees.  It allows one to witness the unfiltered truth. I’ve seen Glossaryck use it before when we first fought against The Great Leader.  He used it to allow the Mewni kings to gain information on Shocker. Mewni sees all, and that eye you summoned is the same. Nothing escapes its sight.”

 

     Star remained silent.  ‘If that’s true, then… what about my parents?’

 

000

 

     A tattered red hood could be seen being dragged through an empty field.  The person hauling Marco through the tall grass was the King of Spades. The young man had barely been able to keep up as his feet dangled and stumbled.  He realized that he would soon run out of sweaters at the rate they were getting destroyed.

 

     “This seems like a good spot.”  The King of Spades chuckled before tossing Marco into a small clearing.  With a deft slashing motion with his hands, the king widened the clearing into a five meter radius circle.  With a grin plastered on his face, the King of Spades directed the boy, “If you leave the circle before I give you permission… Well… It’ll be fun for me, not for you.”

 

     His hoodie was torn at the hood and his ass was damp from the wet earth beneath him.  Marco could easily say that he was not having a good time. Though, the wide grin on the king’s face told Marco that he was clearly enjoying himself.

 

     “What are you going to do with me?”  Marco demanded.

 

     “Oh!  Feisty!  But it would be good for you to know where your place is.   **I am King, your KING, and you are my ACE.  My** **_toy_ ** **.  Kah-kah-kah!** ”

 

     The laugh was chilling.  It held a promise of power that ran down Marco’s spine.  He had thought that he was already used to being around an Undead king like Mr. Lucitor, but the King of Spades was clearly different.  The monster king did very little to hide his strength, it tasted like stale air. Marco had a hard time imagining what it would be like to face the king when he was serious.

 

     “I’m not your ace and you’re not my king,” was all Marco muttered.

 

     The king’s laughing stopped as he stared down the boy.  His head cocked to the side in dismay. He was used to getting everything he wanted, and being told no was rare.  Even among the kings, only Lucitor had the conviction to ever tell him no. The other kings just brushed off the King of Spades, it was easier to avoid him than to confront him.  The surprise left him as the grin on his face spread even further.

 

     The King of Spades barked at his progeny, “Keep fighting back, it’ll make things interesting!  I haven’t had prey in a long... time.”

 

     Marco gulped, “I’m not afraid of you.”  
  
     “ **-TSK, TSK, TSK-**  It isn’t nice to lie to your dear old dad.”

 

     “You’re not my dad.  My dad is Raf-”

 

     “Shove it.  I mean, c’mon, you’re telling me that you haven’t heard it yet?  Because I know you have. The Voice  _ inside _ of you.”

 

     Marco stayed silent as he was cut off.

 

     “Yeah, you’ve heard it.  It tells you to do bad things.  It tells you exactly what you want to do.  Tempting you into doing  _ naughty _ stuff.  And it is never enough, there is always something else.”

 

     ‘How did he know?’ Marco quietly thought to himself.

 

     “I saw it last night son.  When it took over in your moment of weakness.”  The grin on the king’s face turned into a sickening smile.  “You’re so...  **pa. the. tic.** ”

 

     A familiar switch in him turned on and Marco lashed out at the king.  “ **I’LL SHOW YOU PATHETIC OLD MAN!** ”

 

     Without batting an eye, the King of Spades backhanded Marco into the dirt.  “Son, you might want to control yourself. Or else, The Voice will take every opportunity to dominate you.”

 

     With a face full of dirt and his cheek burning red from the slap, Marco turned to face the king.  It was the briefest moment, but he lost control again. Marco was used to containing his anger, but it spilled forth and directed at the king.  Marco had no idea where all of this burning fire inside of him came from.

 

     But he heard it in his head.  ‘Let’s kill the geezer. Then we can be king.  That’ll show him that you’re not pathetic,’ The Voice instructed him.

 

     “NO!”  Marco heavily heaved as he held his head between his hands.  “Stay out of my head!”

 

     ‘Yep, he’s definitely mine.’  The King of Spades chuckled to himself.  “I remember going through the same thing in my early years.  I hated it too.”

 

     Again, the king had said something to silence Marco.

 

     “Looks like that got your attention.  Want to listen to what I’ve got to say now son?  … I’ll take the silence as consent. Kah-kah-kah!”

 

     Marco could hear himself think again as The Voice was drowned out by the laughter of the monster king.

 

     “Now listen.  I know you’re not my son, but you are my descendant.  As proof of that, you also hear The Voice.”

 

     Hesitant to ask, Marco stuttered a question, “Wha- What is it?”

 

     “I thought you were the smart one.”  The King of Spades cocked his head again.  “Isn’t it obvious by now? It is the  _ monster _ inside of  _ you _ .”

 

     Shocked, Marco held his hands in front of him, looking them over like they were alien objects.  “I’m... a... monster?”

 

     The king bent down to meet eye level with the boy.  “No, not yet.”

 

     “Yet?”

 

     “Yeah, yet.  I’ve been watching these things you have on Earth called  _ mooovies _ .  You’ve got stories of monsters here on this planet.  And I’m positive that those stories had some merit of truth to them.  All of them about some sort of human and monster hybrid. What’s that one about the healer who becomes a different person and monster at night after drinking a whatchamacallit?”  The king scratched his head in perplexity.

     It took him a moment before it clicked in Marco’s head.  “Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde?”

 

     The King of Spades smiled and affirmed the boy, “Yes, that one!  He’s just like you isn’t he? Human by day, monster by night.”

 

     He couldn’t believe it.  Marco found it difficult to find that the King of Spades actually made a lot of sense.  And that scared him.


	40. Episode 13 - Chapter 03

Hoshi no Kirifuda   
Episode 13 - Chapter 03   
  
Disclaimer:   
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this written work are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.  These written works are not-for-profit, and are protected under Fair Use laws. I do not own these characters, all credit and rights belongs to Disney, Daron Nefcy, and Toei.

 

Content is only suitable for mature adults. May contain explicit language and adult themes. 

 

***

 

Author’s Notes:

Please keep the reviews coming, especially if it is constructive.

 

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     “Now, sit and listen.  I’m only going to go over this once.”  The King of Spade’s eye glowed against the night sky.

 

     Marco’s jeans were now soaked from sitting in the cold mud, but that didn’t stop him from nodding a silent response.

 

     “Good.  Now, The Voice is your inner monster.  You have one of two choices. The first is simple: allow it to consume you.  Nearly all monsters of Mewni gave in to their weakness and became mindless monsters.  Attacking and killing, not out of survival or proof of strength, but pure instinct. To indiscriminately kill because you were born to kill.”  The wicked smile on the king’s face never faded. “And if you choose that path… I’ll just kill you now. What I want is a toy to play with, not a mindless animal.”

 

     “Okay… what’s the other choice?” Marco inquired.

 

     “Kah-kah-kah!  You’re not dense are you?  If you don’t want to be an animal, then your other choice would be to kill The Voice before it kills you.”

 

     Marco thought to himself, ‘Kill?’  Yeah, the voice was annoying, but it hadn’t actually done anything that warranted him to kill it.  And it also hadn’t made any indication that it was going to kill Marco in return either. If anything all it did was encourage Marco, whether that be for better or worse.

 

     “If you don’t kill your inner monster before it takes over, well… let’s just say it won’t be pretty.  Though, I will say that your inner Voice seems to be more intelligent than any I’ve seen. It is smart, and that is highly unusual.  Even mine was just mindless grunts and roars. Maybe being also human affected it?” The king scratched his head as he thought about the inner workings of Marco’s monster self, before shoving it aside as unimportant details.  “I guess it doesn’t really matter. You’ve still got to kill it.”

 

     “You keep telling me to kill it, but you haven’t told me what that would mean.”

 

     The King of Spades leapt and landed Indian style, with his legs crossed.  His chin rested in his right palm as his elbow met with his thigh. He gazed at Marco with a wide teeth bearing grin.  “How about I tell you about my experience.”

 

     Marco’s eye widened at the thought that the king had offered to tell tales of his youth.  There was much that Marco still had questions about, and it would be behooved of him to gather as much intel as he could.  “You’re willing to tell me about it?”

 

     “Son, I offered.  Why would I tell you I would if I wasn’t willing?  Think. -Sigh-” The King of Spades rolled his eyes.  “Just shut up and listen.”

 

     Marco stayed silent, not inclined to further antagonize the moody king.

 

     “Good.  I like obedience,” the king chuckled to himself.  “Let’s see… I don’t remember how long ago it’s been.  I’ve been King for a… long… time.”

 

     A somber atmosphere crept into the field they had been sitting in as the ancient king took time to remember his past.  It wasn’t something he ever delved into. He had lived for so many lifetimes that most of it were a blur. However, there was at least one thing he remembered: memories of loneliness.

 

     “I can’t give you an exact time.  No point in remembering dates when you’re immortal.  But, what I do remember is waking up one day in a field very much like this one.  I opened my eyes to a full moon. I thought it was… beautiful. Something so chillingly dim that filled the night sky.  I didn’t know how I got there and I don’t think I ever cared to know.”

 

     “You just woke up in the middle of nowhere?  How old were you?”

 

     “Hmm… I have no idea.  I don’t think I was any older than you.  At least I don’t think so. Not that much taller than you.”  The king snickered, “But I wasn’t as scrawny as you. KAH-KAH-KAH!”

 

     Marco felt his rage boiling.  He found it difficult to not take offense at the provocations of the king.  “HEY! I’m still growing!”

 

     “KAH-KAH-KAH!  Yeah, yeah. Sorry, I got side-tracked.”  The king wasn’t oblivious, and it was fun to push the boy’s buttons.  “But yes, I had awoken in the moonlight. Nude as a newborn babe. I traversed and explored my surroundings, to discover that I was alone.  I don’t recall how long it was until I met the first intelligent creature. I had been starving and I attacked the first living thing. Anything with warm flesh to eat.  I didn’t know what I was doing, but my instincts did. And by that I meant The Voice. I had thought myself to be alone, but I was mistaken.”

 

     “Didn’t you say it was just grunts and roars?”

 

     “Yes, that’s all I heard, and that’s all I needed to hear.  I somehow knew what it wanted to tell me. And I spent who knows how long after that living with just The Voice in my head.  However, eventually… I could no longer tell the difference between it and myself. And that was when I snapped. I wasn’t going to be subservient to it.  I was stronger than it and I claimed my dominance. It was as if I grabbed it by the throat and choked the life out of it...”

 

     “And then?”

 

     “Silence.  I freed myself from it, freed to make my own decisions, and it was wonderful.  From then on I climbed in strength to further prove how much more I didn’t need The Voice.  Eventually I was king.”

 

     A moment of silence swept them both as Marco took time to digest what he had been told.  He didn’t think the King of Spades would admit it, but the story he had told sounded awfully lonesome.  Lifetimes of solitary after disposing of the only thing the king had as social interaction. Marco felt pity for the man.  The king was indeed powerful, but everything came with a price.

 

000

 

     Star had been walking back home, deep in thought about what she had discussed with Mr. Lucitor.  After several questions about herself with no definite answer, she shifted her attention to Marco.  All she had been told about the boy was to ask Marco for the truth, and that it wasn’t the king’s place to inform her.

 

     It was past dusk as Star took the now familiar path back home.  She may not remember the exact streets to take, but she had memorized the landmarks and knew that she would have to walk down until she saw the donut shop where Marco had found her in the dumpster.  From there she would have to cut through the park and eventually find the path that would lead her to the cul-de-sac where the Diaz house was at the end of the street. She was proud of herself that she could find her way back.

 

     However, of course it would have to happen when she was alone.  She felt the presence of an Undead. She was tired and frustrated that she had been left alone with Mr. Lucitor all day.  The last thing she wanted right now was an unwanted Undead attack. On second thought, she considered that the would be the perfect way for her to vent.

 

     Star charged past the donut shop and through an unknown alleyway.  It was behind what she noticed was labeled ‘ADULT SHOP,’ it was the first time Star had seen the place.  She made not to ask Marco about it later.

 

     Upon her arrival, Star discovered the Undead wasn’t alone.  It wasn’t just one presence she had felt, it were two Undead.  One was in blue and black armor, it wore a large crown-like structure on its head.  It jutted out at the sides of the Undead’s head like a hammerhead shark. The other Undead was yellow-green and insectoid-like with a pair of long nearly transparent wings.  It tapped its foot impatiently as Star examined both of them.

 

     “NeH wa'?  (Just one?)” the blue Undead remarked.

 

     “Potlh'a'?  Eclipsa Samta'meH neH nIS maH.  (Does it matter? We just have to find Eclipsa.” the other Undead remarked.

 

     Again, Undead were looking for Eclipsa and Star still hadn’t the faintest clue why.

 

     “Vaj Eclipsa DuQapmoH maHvaD, SoH mej maH nIteb.  (If you give us Eclipsa, we’ll leave you alone.)” the blue Undead demanded of Star.

 

     Star swiped the Ace of Hearts through her buckle.  “La''a'qoqvam mIw Suq rid QeH. Nuq pup poH. (I was just looking for a way to vent.  What perfect timing.) Henshin!”

 

     The yellow-green Undead stretched and yawned, “Let mIw.  (The hard way it is.)”

 

     Star stepped through the transformation screen and emerged with her Chalice armor.  She was going to savor this.

 

000

 

     A hidden figure watched on as Star fought the two Undead.  She was doing surprisingly well holding both of them off. However, the odds were still in favor of the Undead.

 

     “I guess I should do something.  It wouldn’t satisfy you if she just died here would it?” the figure spoke to no one.  “Yeah, yeah. It’s fine, she won’t be able to tell. You’re human, she won’t be able to sense me.”

 

     The figure ran out towards Star and pushed her out of the way as the shark Undead chopped the empty air where she once stood.  Star quickly got into a fighting stance and looked at the person who had just shoved her aside. It was a well dressed boy, he must’ve been around the same age as Marco.

 

     “Need some help?” the mysterious boy offered.

 

     Star ignored him and charged right back into the fray.

 

     “Or you can ignore me.  That's cool too.” He followed Star and tried to carry a conversation.  “So, I'm Tom. What's your name?”

 

     Star couldn't believe the audacity Tom had.  “Are you dense? I'm fighting monsters, you should be running away!” she yelled at him.

 

     Tom dodged strikes being delivered by the insect Undead, all the while trying to get Star’s attention.  In the corner of her eye, Star would admit that she was slightly impressed. The boy was clearly adept at fighting, at least much more than Marco.  While the brown haired, brown eyed boy was proficient in his karate and sword skills; this other boy was fighting with prowess that only a master could muster.  Without paying heed to the Undead, Tom easily swatted away the strikes the Undead tried to deliver.

 

     Tom chuckled, “Does it look like I need to run away?”

 

     Star grunted at the intrusive boy, “-Ugh!-  Fine. More fighting, less talking!”

 

     The boy didn’t say a word in response.  Instead he just smiled, his eerily perfect teeth bore through the wide grin as he continued his assault on the monster.  From what Star could tell, the boy was merely playing with the Undead. She didn’t trust the boy, he didn’t feel like an Undead nor was he surprised to see the monsters.  Any normal human would’ve hightailed it immediately. Instead he was easily manhandled the insect Undead.

 

     Star sighed and pushed the matter aside for now.  She had more important matters to attend to. The black and blue Undead she had been facing was using some sort of hand to hand combat.  Its hands were like blades as it swung them around. Star had to either block or deflect them with her bow. However, at least she now had time to focus on the Undead as the other was preoccupied with Tom.

 

     Star made the decision to end this fight to focus on the other Undead.  She pulled out the Six of Hearts and quickly swiped it between her buckle.  Shortly after, a gust of wind swept into the alleyway and Star’s bow was wrapped in a miniature tornado.  The shark Undead attempted to flee, but it was drawn into her attack. Star took the opportunity to launch an arrow at the Undead, it easily pierced through it.  And then the Undead’s body slacked and fell towards the pull of her tornado. Star breathed an early sigh of relief only to remember Tom. By the time she had turned around to find the boy, she was surprised to see the insectoid Undead crushed beneath his feet.

 

     “Let me introduce myself again.  The name’s Tom.” the well-dressed boy sniggered.

 

     She rolled her eyes at him, “-Sigh-  I heard you the first time.”


End file.
